City eyes household numbering scheme

CEBU, Philippines – The Cebu City Planning and Development Office is lobbying for a P16 million budget to implement a uniform plate number scheme among 150,000 households.

The proposed amount includes the procurement of supplies and materials and forms part of the P58.6 million proposed Annual Budget of the CCPDO.

Each house number plate would roughly cost P200, according to CCPDO head Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez.

However, the City Council said the office has to pilot a comprehensive study or survey to implement the project and to avoid any "duplication."

On top of the amount, P3.2 million was proposed for the survey and other related expenses.

To do this, Enriquez said they have to outsource workforce to undertake fieldwork since CCPDO reportedly lacks manpower.

The survey would cost P200 per kilometer. The P3.2 million also represents the planning and plenary design, subscription of data from Bureau of Land, among others.

But for Councilor Nestor Archival, P16 million is "too much for the project."

Councilor Margarita Osmeña, chairman of the Committee on Budget and Finance, said CCPDO has to coordinate with the National Statistics Office to get hold of census data for the city to "save money."

Councilors Noel Wenceslao and Nida Cabrera suggested to tap the barangay workers saying "the barangay is the most reliable outsource."

"Also, we will be able to help them," Cabrera added.

Apart from the survey and numbering of houses, CCPDO has proposed the installation of barangay street name (P10 million) and barangay boundary arcs (P8 million), feasibility design/topography survey for road opening (P4 million) and design for road widening (P300,000).

Of the proposed P58.6 million Annual Budget of the CCPDO, P36.3 was allocated for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses and P22.3 million for the Capital Outlay.