Further study sought for Trans-Axial project

CEBU, Philippines - The infrastructure committee of the Provincial Development Council (PDC) has requested for further economic and other necessary studies on the proposed Cebu Trans-Axial Highway Development Project to ensure its technical and financial stability.

The PDC executive committee approved yesterday the resolution of the infrastructure committee stating the request. The resolution will be presented during the PDC full council meeting next month for further discussion.

Basing on the project’s pre-feasibility study, the infrastructure committee suggested for the formulation of economic analysis and environmental impact feasibilities.

“Some essential aspects of the project need to be taken into deeper consequence so as to formulate more definite recommendations,” part of the resolution reads.

The infrastructure committee sees the need to prioritize the other components of the project rather than on the highway itself so as to attract investors, noting that the highway is not financially viable as presented in the updated pre-feasibility study.

Apart from the 280-kilometer trans-axial highway, which would traverse from Daanbantayan in the north to Santander in the south, the project also includes other components such as “eco-zones” at four locations in the province, a total water management system consisting of potable and non-potable water supply, a wastewater collection system, and wind and solar power plants.

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

“The Infrastructure Committee recognizes that given the magnitude and import of the project as a major public investment, there is a need to go into a full-blown feasibility study on the viability and achievability of all project components and to make these attractive to investors,” the committee added.

Provincial Board Member Grecilda Sanchez who attended the meeting yesterday affirmed the suggestion of the committee to give more importance to the other components, which could be considered as stand-alone projects, instead of focusing mainly on the highway.

“Without those (components), definitely, the highway is not financially feasible,” she said.

Sanchez’s father, the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez, was the proponent of the trans-axial project. — Michael Vencynth H. Braga/JMO (FREEMAN)