CEBU CITY - The Metro Cebu Expressway project, a significant infrastructure endeavor initially overseen by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), will now progress under the management of the Cebu provincial government, facilitated through a public-private partnership (PPP). Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced on Saturday that the DPWH has officially removed the expressway project from its list of Priority Infrastructure Flagship Programs (IFPs) and its Public Investment Program, effectively transferring the project's oversight to the provincial administration.
According to Philippines News Agency, Arsenio Balisacan, the head of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and Ma. Cynthia Hernandez, Executive Director of the Public-Private Partnership Center (PPPC), DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan affirmed the department's support for the province's initiative. "The Department is fully supporting Cebu province in its bid to lead the completion of the MCE project through available means, such as a Capitol-led public-private partnership," Bonoan stated in his letter, signaling a significant shift in the project's administration.
Governor Garcia underscored this development as a pivotal moment for the Provincial Economic Enterprise Council, which she leads, to begin soliciting proposals from the private sector for the construction of the Metro Cebu Expressway. This transition opens new avenues for investment and collaboration with private entities keen on participating in the project.
Further emphasizing the provincial government's newfound autonomy in this venture, Lawyer Arjay Peralta, from the DPWH's Public-Private Partnership Service Office in Manila, clarified that the province could independently seek investors and project proponents without the need for concurrence from the DPWH. "The participation of the local government is very important in the sense that on their own, they can ask for investors or they can look for any proponents who want to implement this project," Peralta explained.
The Metro Cebu Expressway, with an estimated cost of PHP 94 billion, is designed to stretch 56.9 kilometers from Naga City to Danao City. This major infrastructure project aims to provide an alternative route to alleviate the heavy traffic currently plaguing the main thoroughfares of the metropolis.