Alvin favors LRT over Tom's BRT

CEBU, Philippines - Former Cebu City Mayor Alvin Garcia supports the Light Rail Transit system in Metro Cebu, a project that was strongly opposed by Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

Garcia, who was the guest during The Freeman’s roundtable discussion yesterday, lambasted the proposal of Osmeña to put up a Bus Rapid Transit System contending that it is not feasible in the city considering the narrow roads.

“BRT is not workable. LRT will be the best alternative in easing out our traffic,” Garcia said.

Garcia said that LRT will be very advantageous for the city as it is the only way to go as BRT is not going to help the city’s worsening traffic problem.

The proposed LRT, according to AMA Group Holdings Corporation, the project proponent, will not be implemented if the project proponent will not get a favorable endorsement from the Cebu City government.

During the presentation of the project last year, it immediately got flak from Osmeña, who even dubbed the Department of Transportation and Communication as a lousy urban planner.

The city government officially rejected the LRT as a means of mass rapid transit in Metro Cebu, as it is in favor of the BRT.

First District Rep. Eduardo Gullas even commented that Osmeña drove the nail to the coffin of the project.

Osmeña had strongly criticized the project as being “anti-poor” due to its high cost of fare and it will not disperse industrialization which runs counter to his proposed BRT.

Guiling Mamondiong, DOTC undersecretary for railways, assured the mayor that the proposed LRT and BRT project will not be competing with each other, but will instead complement each other.

The proposed LRT system covers the cities of Talisay, Cebu and Mandaue, which is the first phase of the project. This 19-kilometer stretch railway would cost the project proponent a whooping $603 million.

The proposed rail-based mass transit system is intended to provide a high capacity, fast and reliable public transport system to service Metro Cebu. –Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/NLQ   FREEMAN NEWS)