ROW acquisition

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City government can now proceed with the right-of-way (ROW) acquisition in areas affected by the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) routes.

There are portions, however, that are excluded because of issues over the resettlement areas.

This was approved by the City Council during its regular session last Wednesday also after City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera moved to have areas in barangays Punta Princesa, Tejero, and Mabolo be excluded because of unresolved concerns over the relocation sites.

The City Council agreed to approve the acquisition subject to the commitment of the Cebu City Government to resolve the matter.

An area included in the approval to proceed with the ROW acquisition is the stretch along F. Vestil Street, Cebu City.

The City Council included a stipulation that the Cebu City Government is authorized to implement the “Income Loss and Livelihood Restoration Program” to ensure that owners of affected lots and structures get compensated.

It was stated that businesses and employees must be fairly compensated in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP), as approved by the World Bank.

It was in September 2024 when the Department of Transportation (DOTr) entered into a loan agreement with the International Bank for the development of a BRT in Cebu City.

On Dec. 28, 2016, DOTr and the Cebu City government signed an agreement wherein the latter expressed its commitment to support and assist the DOTr in implementing the project, particularly in facilitating the acquisition of lots and improvements identified by the DOTr as being affected by the project.

In July 2024, the Lot Acquisition Committee for the Cebu BRT Project approved and endorsed the RAP to the council for adoption.

However, when an executive session was done to tackle the relocation site, it was agreed that the RAP would be adopted with the condition that the provision for the Resettlement Site would be excluded.

Last October 16, the Cebu City Council approved the creation of an Ad Hoc Committee that will look into the alleged irregularities in the purchase of land intended for the displaced individuals that will be affected by CBRT packages 2 and 3.

The Ad Hoc Committee which will be composed by the City Legal Office, Cebu City Planning and Development Office, Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor, Business Permit and Licensing Office, City Appraisal Committee, and the CBRT Management Office, is tasked to review the RAP.

In the RAP documents that serve as attachments to the City Council agenda, it was laid down that the CBRT will be implemented in three construction packages spanning 41 barangays.

The RAP focuses on construction packages that will take care of “all adverse impacts” on properties and persons found in the barangays covered by the said scope of work.

“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and some delays, this RAP was prepared with the assistance of the various stakeholders of the project through the conduct of regular meetings and constant coordination,” read an excerpt of the report.

Before the RAP came about, public consultations with affected families and persons were held from September to October 2020 and in February 2021.

Those considered eligible for compensation and other entitlements were landowners; structure and improvement owners; informal settlers; vulnerable groups; and businesses and their employees.

For the CBRT package 2, there are 376 affected lots totaling 32,319 square meters. Of the 376 lots, 213, or 56.65 percent, are “marginally affected”, while 142 lots, or 37.77 percent, are “severely affected”. Most of these severely affected lots are residential.

As for structures, 556 are affected. They are as follows: 166 (30 percent) are commercial establishments; 138 (24.6 percent) are residential; 131 (23.7 percent) are mixed residential and commercial; five (0.9 percent) are institutional; 7 (1.3 percent) are public-institutional, and 108 (19.5 percent) are improvements. RHM (CEBU NEWS)