RDC exec says projects bypassed local council review

In lieu of two new flyover projects in Cebu City’s north district, officials of the Regional Development Council (RDC) wanted its funding to be diverted to drainage systems and a traffic master plan.

“Cebu City’s priority is drainage improvement and traffic master plan, not flyovers,” said Cebu City Mayor and RDC chairman Michael Rama after the RDC approved P2.26-billion worth of priority projects for the city.

Emmanuel Rabacal, head of the RDC’s Infrastructure Development Council (IDC), said he and Rama would have wanted the two flyover projects deleted from the list of priority projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

But Regional Director Carmela Fernan of the Department of Budget and Management in Central Visayas (DBM-7) warned that the deletion of the flyover projects would mean losing its allocation.

She said the funding would likely go to another local government unit (LGU). “So we agreed to just approve the list of priority projects,” Rabacal said.

He said the two flyover projects didn’t undergo review by the Cebu City Local Development Council and his committee.

Instead, the DPWH-7 officials forwarded their list directly to the RDC-7 secretariat for inclusion in yesterday’s agenda.

“The RDC is not against these priority projects, but we just wanted to be careful after the experience we had with the two flyover projects in General Maxilom and Gorordo Avenue. We are also asking that procedures be followed,” Rabacal said.

Flyover network

Rabacal said the RDC will craft a resolution requesting the national government to allow the council to re-align funding for the two flyover projects, which are sought for inclusion in the DPWH’s budget for next year.

Reps. Tomas Osmeña and Rachel “Cutie” del Mar of Cebu City’s south and north districts were still in the US and thus unable to attend yesterday’s meeting.

Former north district congressman Raul del Mar, Cutie’s father, could not also be reached for comment. His cell phone was unattended.

Rama and Rabacal are targeting the diversion of funds for the two flyover projects at the junctions of Juan Luna and M. J. Cuenco Avenues near the Mabolo church and along Juan Luna and Cardinal Rosales Avenues near the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos.

The first flyover will cost P230 million while the second would cost P200 million.

The elder Del Mar said these two flyovers will complete the network of seven flyover projects, which he and daughter Rachel wanted for the city’s north district.

Two more flyover projects located along the junctions of M. J. Cuenco and General Maxilom Avenues and Gorordo and Archbishop Reyes Avenues were already funded by the national government.

Endorsement

But their implementation was suspended following opposition raised by Mayor Rama and the Movement for Liveable Cebu (MLC), who pushed for a traffic master plan before building new flyovers.

Rama said he will write Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson to warn him about the submission of the list of priority projects to his office without endorsement from the Cebu City Local Development Council and the RDC.

Rama convened the RDC, which included heads of government agencies and representatives of the different districts in Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Negros Oriental provinces, to a consultative meeting held in a Cebu City hotel.

One of the items discussed during the four-hour meeting was DPWH-7’s list of priority projects proposed for funding in 2013. The DPWH-7 is proposing P2.26-billion worth of projects in Cebu City.

Of that amount, about P1.56 billion would go to the north district and P700 million for the south district.

Rama said he was disappointed that DPWH-7 chief Ador Canlas skipped the RDC consultative meeting to attend a seminar.

He said he would have wanted Canlas to explain the need for the two new flyover projects in the north district.

Rama also questioned why drainage improvement was only made a second priority with a P15-million proposed appropriation. He said drainage wasn’t also prioritized in the south district.

While Rama doesn’t want to rule out another flyover project, he said a traffic master plan, road widening and drainage should be prioritized.

Rama said the city’s comprehensive drainage master plan needed P2 billion to implement.

The MLC said it is pleased on hearing that Rama will write Singson on the two new flyover projects. With Correspondent Jessa M. Agua