City Hall to shell out P75M for SRP, traffic master plans
ABOUT P75 million will be set aside by Cebu City Hall to pay for six new master plans for various projects in the city.
City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said the master plans will cover the South Road Properties (SRP), traffic, coastal management and the beautification of downtown and uptown Cebu City.
Each master plan is estimated to cost P10 million.
A sixth master plan proposed by Mayor Michael Rama will focus on the city’s drainage, maintenance and flood-control projects and would cost P25 million.
Poblete told Cebu Daily News that the cost estimates for the proposed master plans were based on the “cost of prevailing studies.”
“The mayor wanted a master plan to serve as guide. We can’t let development dictate its own phase,” Poblete told Cebu Daily News.
Poblete said while the Rama administration already implemented programs for the revitalization of downtown Cebu City, it still lacks a master plan for all programs and projects intended for the area.
“It’s easy to draft a study. We just have to contract it out to qualified consultants,” Poblete said, when asked if the city could finish the six master plans next year.
Poblete said they are also proposing that P30 million be appropriated for consultants who could help expedite the preparation of Program of Works and Estimates (POWE) by the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW).
Poblete said the engineering offices needed outside assistance in preparing the POWE.
Rama is proposing P700-million worth of road improvement projects and P500-million worth of drainage improvement projects in his 2012 executive budget.
Included in the projects is P10 million for the improvement of the Osmeña Shrine, which Rama’s predecessor and now Rep. Tomas Osmeña wanted to be converted into a multifaith cemetery.
Rama also proposed the construction of three new parks worth P55 million, a new terminal worth P50 million and a pocket forest worth P10 million.
“It is always good to dream (of having all these). All the things that we see is part of a dream,” the mayor said.
Rama said the 2012 budget would address the city’s need for good roads and help boost its economic growth.
“It’s a big insult to the Cebuanos if our roads remain in disrepair,” the mayor said.
The City Council called on City Treasurer Tessie Camarillo and Budget Officer Nelfa Briones to clarify where the city would source the mayor’s P11.8 billion budget for next year.
Councilor Margot Osmena, the council’s budget committee chairperson, said the fund sources identified for the 2012 budget appeare “very bloated.”
Of the P700 million, about P400 million will go to road concreting, P200 million will pay for road repair and maintenance and P100 million will cover road widening.
The DEPW budget also includes P500 million for drainage improvement projects and another P100 million for the installation of slope protection measures.
About P20 million will go for parks to be built in barangays Cogon Ramos and another P25 million for the Pasil park.
A third park for senior citizens worth P10 million would be set up in a proposed location across the City Hall annex building. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac
