Who will run Cebu BRT?

(Part 3) – Project Management

Let’s backtrack a little bit into the project management setup of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit. The project is multi-faceted and involves three main agencies: DOTr, which owns and will run the BRT; DPWH, which owns the roadways through which the buses will run, and the Cebu City government, whose residents are the beneficiaries and users of the system. Apparently, there is a need for coordination both during construction and after, in its operation.

As early as 2012, even before the Cebu BRT was approved by NEDA in 2014, then DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio "Jun" Aguinaldo Abaya issued two important department orders (DO’s) to streamline the project development of the Cebu BRT. Secretary Jun was a former military officer, but he has a degree in Mathematics which proved useful especially in doing things right and doing the right things…as well as foreseeing major difficulties not only in project planning and implementation but in the future operations of the BRT as well.

He issued DO No. 2012-13, creating the National Program Management Office (BRT-NPMO), and DO No. 2012-14, creating the National Steering Committee (BRT-NSC). While the Cebu BRT was the first to be planned back then, it was already envisioned that many more BRT’s shall be implemented over the country, hence these national-level bodies. It was also foreseen that many of the issues that might arise during project implementation will require national level of decision-making, and these bodies prevent repetitive problem solving since any issue resolved by any project will then be applicable to others/succeeding ones.

The BRT-NSC is composed of the secretaries of DOTr and DPWH and the mayor of the LGU where the specific BRT will be established. It is the national body for coordinating the formulation, planning, implementation, management, regulation, and monitoring of BRT policies, plans, and projects. The NPMO is the primary support office of the NSC and is mandated to oversee the implementation of the BRT’s. And for the first project, which is the Cebu BRT, the three agencies --DOTr, DPWH, and the Cebu City government signed a Memorandum of Agreement on July 20, 2014.

The question is: What happened after these actions/documents? Has the BRT-NSC been convened? Has the BRT-NPMO been established? What was done up to today; when was the last meeting and what issues were last addressed and resolved? Seemingly, it’s a blank wall. One thing is very clear: Issues like how to handle the demolition of skywalks in Osmeña Boulevard would have been easily and quickly resolved through these institutional management structures. But with the change of administration in 2016, and the ominous rejection of the BRT by the next DOTr secretary, Arthur Tugade, even to the extent of requesting the cancellation of all BRTs in the country, I doubt if these exist anymore.

Still, it doesn’t eliminate the fact that these institutional setups do legally exist and would be extremely useful in today’s BRT program. In the case of skywalks, the NSC can simply discuss this at their level and whatever they agree on would be applicable anywhere in the country. It eliminates the verbal ping-pong here, not knowing what to do.