Airport boss: BRT implementation will ease transport woes

CEBU, Philippines - The implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit from Mactan-Cebu International Airport, passing the cities of Mandaue, Cebu and Talisay, should be given priority to address transportation issues within the next three to five years, according MCIA Authority General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete.

Villarete said he already sent a letter to the Department of Transportation and Communication Central Office, expressing the need to fast-track the feasibility study of the implementation of the BRT project.

According to Villarete, in the next three to five years, they are expecting larger volumes of passengers who will visit in Cebu through the Mactan airport.

He stressed the need for them to prepare now saying that they will encounter these challenges in the short term.

At present, passengers from Mactan airport are being served through yellow taxi, rent a car, private vehicles and public utility jeepneys. Villarete said passengers would sometimes encounter inconveniences during their trips.

"There is a need now to provide a better type of transportation to all our visitors, especially the tourists who come to Cebu," said Villarete.

The Bus Rapid Transit is being eyed for implementation in the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Cebu and Talisay.

It was learned that the BRT project will cost $4 million per kilometer. Villarete hopes local officials in Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Cebu and Talisay should show their full support to the project.

Villarete had been tasked to conduct study of the BRT project during his stint as head of Cebu City Planning and Development Office before he was appointed general manager of MCIAA.

One of the possible sources of loans that will finance the BRT project is World Bank, according to earlier reports. (FREEMAN)