P1.4 million needed to set up BRT office

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project Committee is asking P1.4 million to set up the BRT-Project Management Office that shall handle the next phase of the project after the feasibility study shall be completed this month.

The proposed budget shall cover office supplies and hiring of personnel who will continue the works of the feasibility consultants.

Engr. Ma. Concepcion T. Encabo, In-charge of the BRT-PMO, requested the inclusion of the P1.4 million in the next supplemental budget.

She said that the additional manpower must be recruited before July.

“The office must be able to review and assist the work of the incoming Detailed Engineering Design Consultants, thus, the necessity of hiring professional…to make the office operational,” Encabo said.

Of the P1.4 million, some P305,430.00 will be for office supplies while P1,102,164.00 is for the salaries of the personnel from July to December.

The BRT-PMO will need a legal office, a design engineer, a transport and environmental planner, a finance officer, a procurement officer, an administrative officer or secretary, a documentor and a driver or messenger.

The feasibility study for the BRT will be completed by the end of the month. The preparation of the detailed design will start from October until May 2013. Immediately after, the construction will start. The BRT is expected to be operationalized by 2015.

Cebu City will pioneer the BRT in the whole country. Its preparation is way ahead of the preparation for a BRT in Manila.

The BRT has been successfully implemented in other countries and BRT lead consultant Colin Brader assured that some mistakes they might have done in other countries will not be repeated in Cebu City.

The project has a ready funding of USD185 million from the World Bank and a French agency. (FREEMAN)