IN the past two weeks, there have been a number of updates from Cebu about one of my ironically favorite topics, the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. As I have explained on several previous occasions, the project could have easily become a showpiece of public transportation infrastructure, and an archetypal example for the rest of the country. It has instead become an embarrassing disaster, and if recent developments are any indication, one that does not appear to be ending anytime soon.
Background
To recap, the World Bank originally approved funding for the Cebu BRT project in September 2014, which consisted of a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, part of the World Bank group) of $116 million, a grant from the World Bank’s Clean Technology Fund (CTF) in the amount of $25 million, parallel financing from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) totaling €50.89 million ($57.5 million), and counterpart financing from the Philippine government of $30 million, for a total of about $228.5 million.
For that amount, the result was supposed to be a BRT system consisting of a 13.8 kilometer-long corridor of dedicated lanes, with 17 stations, a depot and a terminal; with a feeder system comprising another 18 km of connecting routes, the entire project would have covered nearly 35 km stretching from Bulacao on the border of Talisay City in the south to Talamban in the north of Cebu City. If all had gone according to plan, the main trunk line and associated infrastructure should have been up and running by the end of 2018.
Of course, as everyone now knows, almost nothing about the Cebu BRT project has gone according to plan. Delays for just about every imaginable reason have plagued the project, and the loans and corresponding target dates for completion have been extended three times, in 2021, 2023 and 2024. With a loan closure date of September, 2026 looming, as recently as October last year the government was still considering another extension, but a very negative assessment of the project’s progress by the World Bank was a strong hint to the government that another restructuring and extension of the project was going to be a hard sell to World Bank’s management.
Thus, in January of this year the government formally requested a cancellation of the undisbursed portion of the loans – totaling about $84.9 million – which was quickly approved by World Bank. That naturally required another restructuring of the financing package, which was completed and publicly disclosed by World Bank in mid-May. It is not clear from that public disclosure whether or not the restructuring has been formally approved by the World Bank board, but even if it has not yet, there is no reason it would not be, so it’s a done deal.
Fighting over scraps
As things now stand, the only part of the broader BRT plan that has been completed is a 2.38-km section with three stations, connecting the Cebu South Bus Terminal with the Cebu Provincial Capitol, including about 1.15 km of “urban improvements” along the route, such as bicycle lanes, improved sidewalks and new street lighting. However, a station at the Capitol complex itself is not included, as that has been a bone of contention between the city and provincial governments; one has already been completely built and torn down, as there have been vicious arguments over the impact of the station’s location on the historical preservation of the capitol. Likewise, none of the planned traffic management system nor the dedicated BRT buses are included, and there is no indication that they will be.
What is happening now is that the city of Cebu, along with the Department of Transportation, are trying to work out what more can be completed of the project using the loan funds that have been disbursed but not necessarily spent yet, ahead of the Sept. 26 loan closing date. True to form for Cebu’s obstreperous leadership, this objective has devolved into a bitter debate that very well might result in nothing getting accomplished.
To be fair to the Cebu City leadership, they are thinking about how the Cebu BRT project might be reconstituted as a public-private partnership (PPP) or other sort of project once the business with the World Bank funding is concluded. Whatever they do now with the little time and money left will in a way establish a foundation for that hoped-for future development.
One group in the city council, which is supported by the DOTr, favors concentrating on building up the BRT route to the South Road Properties (SRP) area. This is the large commercial-industrial area built on reclaimed land south of the Cebu port area; for those who are only vaguely familiar with Cebu, it is where the SM Seaside is located, among other things. The other faction in the city council, led by Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña — who wants to be mayor so bad he may as well be walking around wearing a sign — is insisting that any work focus on the “original” BRT routing plan from Bulacao to Talamban, as that passes through more residential areas and would serve more commuters.
Both sides have a point, but the "SRP option," as it were, is more practical; much less infrastructure work has to be done, and there are no hang-ups with right-of-way acquisition. The "original" route, on the other hand, would require extensive road work, as well as right-of-way arrangements with at least 121 private properties, along with the relocation of a number of residents. Nonetheless, in terms of public utility and the potential to serve the greatest number of people, it is a better route.
What is most likely to happen, given these two options, is nothing, because Cebu is what it is. You Cebuanos know I love you, but show me receipts that prove me wrong. And in all of this, there are a few lessons for development that should be applied elsewhere. First of all, there has to be intimate, detailed coordination with local governments and stakeholders from square zero of any proposed project, especially those being funded by outside sources at the national level. Second, some means have to be found to insulate long-term development projects from political and personnel changes over a number of years. Whether that requires some form of legislation, I don’t know, but that is a possibility. Finally, at whatever level of government is involved, leaders need to stop biting off more than they can chew. Stop with the grand, sweeping initiatives, the “roadmaps,” the “magna cartas,” and concentrate on what is achievable within a reasonable time horizon. Getting a little bit accomplished will always be preferable to accomplishing nothing at all.
ben.kritz@manilatimes.net
Bluesky: @benkritz.bsky.social
Website: www.badmannersgunclub.com