Re-branding of trans-axial highway development project proposed

CEBU, Philippines - The infrastructure committee of the Provincial Development Council (PDC) is proposing for a re-branding of the trans-axial highway development project and its components.

This after the committee noted that the highway is not financially viable yet, hinging on the results of the review on the pre-feasibility study of the project presented during its meeting yesterday.

May Ybañez, chairman of the infrastructure committee, said that there is a need to prioritize the components of the project rather than focus on the highway itself.

“It’s not the trans-axial that we are really talking about, we are only talking on development in the countryside, not the development in the mountains… Mas nindot man tong ubang components, support ra ang dalan. Unya ang dalan does not have to be the trans-axial, it can be something else,” she told reporters after the meeting.

She suggested having the project restudied by looking at the economic component.

The trans-axial project is a 280-kilometer by 50m-wide highway traversing from Daanbantayan to Santander.

The project components include establishing “ecozones” at four locations in the province, namely, the north, central west, central east, and south ecozones, with a total area of 650 hectares.

A Total Water Management System consisting of potable and non-potable water supply and a wastewater collection system will be installed at all ecozone locations.

Another component are the 200- megawatt wind power plant with a capacity to provide 30 megawatt hour of power a day, and the 140 MW solar power plant with a capacity to provide 500 MW-hr per day.

The whole project would cost P93.7 billion, which is higher than the P46 billion in the original pre-feasibility study conducted in 2007.

Engineer Jose Tumulak, who presented the updated pre-feasibility study, attributed the surge to the increase of prices in land development and acquisition.

Planning and Development Officer-in-charge Benigno Cris Lucero, who moved for the re-branding during the meeting, told The FREEMAN that the re-branding would extinguish the common perception that the project is only confined to the highway itself.

He, however, reiterated Governor Hilario Davide’s earlier statement that the province is not giving up on the highway project.

“Naa man ta’y daghang options,” Lucero said.

He said the updated pre-feasibility study would be presented again either in the next PDC full council or executive committee meeting.  (FREEMAN)