The Cebu City Council has rejected the Department of Transportation's (DOTr) proposed realignment for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project, adopting Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña's position that the city itself should oppose the change and insist on the original route from Bulacao to Talamban.
Council votes to reject realignment
After lengthy deliberation and a divided vote during a special session on Friday, July 3, 2026, the council approved a resolution that amended the original wording, which initially only urged the DOTr to reject the realignment. The resolution was approved after the council voted via division of the house.
Voting in favor were Councilors Philip Zafra, Paul Labra, Michelle Abella-Celona, Sisinio Andales, Alvin Arcilla, and Jose Abellanosa. Voting against were Councilors Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr. and Harry Eran, while Councilors David Tumulak, Winston Pepito, Mikel Rama, and Nice Archival abstained, citing a need for more time to study the legal implications of the move.
Osmeña pushes for direct rejection
Osmeña successfully pushed to change the language so that the Cebu City Government itself directly rejects the proposal. “We’re not asking the DOTr to reject it. We are rejecting it,” Osmeña said during the session.
According to the vice mayor, if the resolution remained merely a request to the DOTr, the national government would still be free to proceed with the proposed alignment even if the city objected. “If the city disapproves the alignment, the DOTr cannot override it,” he argued, describing the amendment as having “minor but big impact.”
Resolution backs original route
The approved resolution rejects the proposed realignment and calls for the full restoration and implementation of the original CBRT alignment from Barangay Bulacao in the south to Barangay Talamban in the north.
The controversy revolves around the DOTr's proposal to prioritize a CBRT segment connecting the South Road Properties (SRP), while portions of the original Bulacao-Talamban corridor remain unfinished. Osmeña has consistently argued that prioritizing the SRP alignment deviates from the project's purpose of serving densely populated areas in the city's north and south districts.
CBRT project manager defends SRP segment
CBRT Project Manager Norvin Imbong maintained that the original Bulacao-Talamban alignment remains part of the project and has not been abandoned. He said the SRP segment was prioritized because it is easier to implement before the September 2026 deadline for closing the project's World Bank-funded loan.
During deliberations, Imbong explained that the SRP corridor requires little or no right-of-way acquisition, allowing faster construction while utilizing remaining loan funds. He noted that the original corridor continues to face major right-of-way challenges, with only a small portion of affected properties acquired so far.
Imbong reported that 121 properties need to be purchased, of which 39 are under negotiated sale while 82 will require expropriation.
