Flyover opponents ‘remind’ Rama on pending projects

Even if Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is against it, opponents of the city’s flyover projects aren’t taking any chances.

The Movement for a Liveable Cebu said it wrote the mayor to “remind him” about the unresolved status of two other flyover projects in Gorordo and MJ Cuenco that they opposed last year.

“We wrote Rama to make sure that he knows we are watching the project closely. We did not ask Rama, we just reminded him of the pending concerns on the two other flyover projects,” MLC lead convenor Marc Canton said

Canton said the group is “consciously optimistic” that two new proposed flyover projects reportedly worth P430 million won’t secure support from the mayor nor the City Development Council, which he chairs.

Canton said he was surprised when the two new flyover projects were presented in the meeting of the Regional Development Council-Infrastructure Development Committee (RDC-IDC) last Friday.

The projects to be spearheaded by the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH-7) is part of a proposed network of flyovers lobbied by former congressman Raul del Mar.

Del Mar’s daughter, Rep. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar of Cebu City’s north district, said despite Rama’s opposition, she will lobby for the council’s approval of the two new flyover projects.

“That’s something that we will definitely fight,” Canton told Cebu Daily News.

He said they didn’t need to ask Rama’s support because they knew his stance against the flyover projects. Last Friday, DPWH-7 presented their projects for fiscal year 2013.

The IDC-RDC didn’t give their endorsement since it lacked endorsement from the City Development Council.

Canton said the hold order issued by Public Works and Highways undersecretary Rogelio Momo to suspend the MJ Cuenco and Gorordo flyover until a traffic study and consultation are completed should be considered.

One of two new flyover projects will be built along the juncture of Juan Luna Avenue and MJ Cuenco Avenue near the St. Joseph the Patriarch Parish of Mabolo.

The other flyover will be built in the junction of Juan Luna Avenue and Cardinal Rosales Avenue-F. Cabahug Street near the Carmelite monastery worth P200 million. Each flyover will be 400 meters long. Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya