He was just taking a poke, really.
After Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama warned that he would give聽 Bando Osmena Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) a hard time staging their rallies if they fail to secure permits from his office, his rival Rep. Tomas Osme帽a of Cebu City鈥檚 south district took another jab at his former聽 partner.
Osme帽a, who looks forward to staging a comeback as as mayor in May, blames the incumbent for not giving a substantial presentation of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).
The project was tabled 鈥� not rejected 鈥� by President Benigno Aquino III.
Osme帽a didn鈥檛 mention the project鈥檚 huge price tag鈥擯10 billion鈥� the real reason the BRT is in the freezer.
Mayor Rama responded that he wasn鈥檛 given a chance to present the BRT in the first place.聽 That was the job of the Department of Transportation and Communication which made the presentation to the NEDA Board.聽 He was right.
The congressman was toying with the mayor.聽 Apparently he just wanted to rub it in that the BRT, his brainchild, would materialize under 鈥渉is鈥� watch, after May.
President Aquino聽 dropped the BRT from his project list for聽 Public-Private Partnerships saying the BRT would require more study and the national government wasn鈥檛 ready to spend or borrow P10 billion for an untested project.
He announced last December in a Cebu visit that the BRT鈥檚 approval was deferred by the NEDA board to give time to iron out issues. 鈥淢edyo may kulang,鈥� he said, because segregated roads were needed to make the mass transit system effective,聽 something he wasn鈥檛 sure there was enough space for in the city.
Aquino didn鈥檛 shut out the project.聽 In fact he affirmed that adopting a mass transit system was the direction for Cebu City.
But the star attention has gone to the expansion of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Project so it鈥檚 reasonable to accept that Cebu can鈥檛 have two jumbo projects financed by the PPP聽 simultaneously.
With the BRT project on ice, Osme帽a said he wants a smaller scale of the project that would run a route through the Capitol and be implemented by segments, costing less than P10 billion.
鈥淚鈥檓 patient.聽 I can wait,鈥� he said after President Aquino broke the disappointing news in his Cebu visit.
That鈥檚 not a typical response from Osme帽a who鈥檚 used to getting what he wants on his schedule, but who can argue in public with the President?
Since he already has the聽 feasibility study for the project, we can only hope that a smaller scale BRT is a feasible option. Whether it would be profitable to operate and sustain on a long term basis is another story.
Exactly how much would a smaller scale BRT cost and how much would the national government fork over as its share in financing the project?聽 Will there be less dislocation of jeepney routes and drivers?
These details need to answered by whoever wins as Cebu City mayor in May.
Jeepneys are good for side roads, but can鈥檛 meet the needs of urban Cebu鈥檚 traffic on main thoroughfares where the small-capacity PUJs just add to the grid lock.
The BRT would provide relief to a burgeoning commuter population and has the potential to be a low-pollution system. For that alone, it deserves a second look.
Imagine Osme帽a Boulevard having large air-conditioned buses traveling on a dedicated fast lane, stopping at 14聽 bus stations with elevated platforms.
The longer the BRT is on hold, the cost of delivering this vision will go up, including the fare rates charged to commuters.