Gov. Gwen Garcia has given Engr. Norvin Imbong, Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project manager, one week to clear Osmeña Boulevard of construction materials and steel structures that are lying idly in the middle of a busy road fronting the Capitol building.
Aside from potential hazard for and additional obstruction to the public, the said materials’ continued presence on Osmeña Blvd. is a continued defiance of a Capitol directive putting the construction of at least two CBRT bus stations in the area on hold.
“Kindly take those out kay wala man mo niabang namo,” Gov. Garcia told Engr. Imbong during a meeting at the Capitol on July 2. “Yuta ni namo; we will exercise our right over this,” she added.
The Capitol has maintained ownership of the properties where Osmeña Blvd. is located, from the Capitol Compound all the way to Fuente Circle.
As of this writing, it has been 126 days since Gov. Garcia issued on February 27 Memorandum No. 16-2024 ordering the contractors and project implementers of the CBRT project to cease and desist from further construction of bus stations along Osmeña Blvd. fronting the Capitol building for potential heritage law violations.
The Capitol found out that project proponents lacked the necessary permit from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) for the construction of the bus terminals that appear to be within the 200-meter buffer zones of the Capitol Building and Fuente Osmeña Rotunda, both of which easily qualify as heritage zones.
In 2008, the NHCP declared the Capitol Building a National Historical Landmark which enjoys statutory protection. Any construction within buffer zones of heritage sites such as the Capitol building requires authorization from the NHCP as mandated by law.
These planned bus stations, moreover, are found to be violative of the unhampered Vista Corridor between the Capitol and Fuente Circle, as well as pose a threat to the integrity of the Capitol’s iconic façade.
“This is a total disrespect to Cebu Provincial Government,” the governor added.
Engr. Imbong said he understood the governor’s position, but added that he would have to await directive from the central office of the Department of Transportation, the primary agency implementing the construction of the CBRT.
He added that he would do everything to get the central office’s response within the week.
Easily found on Osmeña Blvd. are steel leaf roofing frames and foglia leaf pillars that contractors left on the area upon the governor’s issuance of the memorandum.
“You are already stepping on the owner’s rights, and the owner happens to be the Province of Cebu. I will advise you, unless you want to pay rent, tangtanga na,” Gov. Gwen said. | MAM
