The Spanish firm that built the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), Acciona, is studying the possibility of partnering with the Cebu Provincial Government in the construction of the Metro Cebu Expressway (MCE) project.
Acciona’s director for infrastructure in Southeast Asia, Ruben Camba, and business development director in Southeast Asia, Ignacio Domecq, however, told Gov. Gwen Garcia that before any deal could be entered into, it would have to be approved by the company’s board of directors first.
Acciona, through its energy arm, is the Capitol’s partner in the construction, operation, and maintenance of a 150-megawatt solar power plant in Daanbantayan, northern Cebu. Two other solar plants are being considered by the firm: one in Toledo City and another in Dumanjug.
But its biggest project in Cebu to date is through its infrastructure arm that constructed the 8.5-kilometer CCLEX that connects Cebu City to Mactan Island via Cordova. In that project, Acciona is helped by two local partners, namely: First Balfour Inc. and D.M. Consunji Inc.
During the meeting at the Capitol on April 26, Gov. Gwen Garcia was transparent to the Spanish businessmen, presenting to them the real score with MCE, including its construction failures recorded in some environmentally sensitive areas in the City of Naga.
“It is necessary for you to understand that this is really there onsite, and if you show interest to continue the expressway, you might suddenly see pictures like these,” Gov. Gwen said while showing actual footage and photos of destroyed parts of the MCE due to landslides and other causes.
The Governor is convinced that Acciona is more than qualified and equipped to handle such a large-scale project such as the MCE, which is a 74-kilometer expressway that looks to connect the City of Naga in the south and Danao City in the north, serving as an alternative highway through Cebu’s mountain ranges.
At the request of Gov. Gwen, DPWH Sec. Manuel Bonoan delisted the MCE from the list of priority projects by the agency with the belief that the Capitol can better complete its construction owing to the unity of Cebu’s elected leaders and the institutional knowledge of the terrain, something which DPWH did not have.
The meeting with Acciona is an initial step in the right direction, with the Capitol confident that it can pull off this big ticket infrastructure project with the right partner. | BJR