World Bank to start feasibility study on proposed Cebu BRT

12/18/10  - CEBU CITY, Philippines (PNA) - World Bank (WB) consultants are ready to start the feasibility study on Cebu’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), but Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants to see the draft of the study’s details first.

Cebu City officials met with said WB consultants last week to discuss the details of the feasibility study for the BRT, the mass transport system that the City Government wants to implement.

The consultants are scheduled to conduct the feasibility before yearend.

Former City Councilor Nestor Archival attended the meeting with the WB consultants late last week. The Cebu City mayor had Rama designated the city’s official spokesperson for the project, after hiring him as a P1-a-year consultant.

Rama said he told the WB consultants to produce a draft of what the feasibility study shall cover for the City government to go over.

He will also ask Archival to study the draft so that the role of the city can be well-defined in implementing the BRT and progress implementation of the project is established.

“The connection should be clearly established,” said Rama. Once the feasibility study is completed, the city will determine possible funding sources and other concerns, he added.

Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete, the former city planning and development coordinator, did not attend the meeting with the WB consultants, but Rama said he constantly communicates with Villarete to discuss the BRT.

Rama said that Villarete may still be busy adjusting to his new job.

Earlier, former mayor and now Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south district) criticized Rama’s decision to have Archival as head of the BRT project, but Rama justified his choice, saying the former councilor is capable of handling the task at hand. (abs-cbnnews)