DUMAGUETE CITY – The Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (NOCCI) expressed hope that the local government of Dumaguete City will allow the private sector to build toll bridges to replace the two spillways that have been recently damaged by flashfloods.
Francisco Martinez, who replaced outgoing NOCCI president Edward Du recently, disclosed in an interview Monday that they have some new proposals for the city government for projects that could be funded by the private sector because national government funding takes longer.
He cited the spillways that continue to pose a threat to motorists and residents when the rains come because the Banica River overflows and renders these structures impassable to traffic.
Martinez said instead of the city government waiting for the national government to allocate funds to build bridges instead of just repairing the spillways, these projects should be given to the private sector under a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) scheme.
Another example is the Mactan Bridge in Cebu which was built under the BOT scheme at no cost to the government.
Martinez added that the NOCCI is looking at proposing for a BOT scheme to construct toll bridges to replace the existing spillways in Barangay Bagacay connecting to Barangay Taclobo and the one that connects to Colon Extension.
In this way, it is easier for the contractor to take out a loan because revenues from the toll bridge can cover for its amortization, Martinez said, just like what is being done in the Northern Luzon Expressway and the Southern Luzon Expressway.
“We need safety, we need access and we need convenience. We need it now,” Martinez stressed, in referring to the recurring problem of the overflowing spillways during flashfloods which in return would cause traffic pile up in the city.
Martinez, however, said the NOCCI has yet to make a formal proposal to Mayor Remollo as they plan to call for a meeting with him in the near future.
Meanwhile, as the new president of NOCCI, Martinez assured to continue the programs and projects of his predecessor, Edward Du.
Du had an “impressive record,” Martinez noted, and it was during Du’s term that NOCCI became the best chamber in the Philippines for three consecutive years, the best in the Asia Pacific Region, and the 2nd best in the whole world next to the United Kingdom. ( /PNA)
