BRT delays seen to cost World Bank support

WHILE still on schedule, Cebu City’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project may lose the support of financial institutions like the World Bank if it gets delayed further.

Rafael Yap, Cebu City Integrated Traffic Operations Management (Citom) chief, said the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) board has yet to convene this year to discuss the BRT project again.

Yap, who also heads the BRT technical working group, said the project’s approval was deferred in a board meeting held last November to clarify some concerns like how to incorporate the BRT with the city’s mainstream traffic system.

President Aquino also said during a Cebu visit last Nov. 30 that the national government can’t afford to experiment on a project that is expected to cost P10 billion.

“No loan has approved approved for the BRT yet because this will still need NEDA approval. But there is definitely a danger. The financing of the project is starting to become a cause for concern,” Yap told Cebu Daily News.

Like the BRT project implementor, Yap said the World Bank also has deadlines to meet.

He said that it is now up to the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) to convince the NEDA board to support the project.

Yap said BRT consultant Collin Brader is coming to Cebu for the Sinulog. He said it would be up to DOTC to determine if they need Brader’s help in explaining the project mechanics before the NEDA board members.

The BRT system would need funding support from the World Bank through a $110 million loan.

Additional funds will come from $52 million from the Agence Francaise de Development; $25 million from the Clean Technology Fund; and $25 million from the national government. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac