Mayor Michael Rama on Thursday assured the public that he is for the preservation of heritage amid the ongoing construction of the multi-billion peso Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

In a statement, Rama clarified that the city government’s stand is aligned with the view that heritage sites, such as the Cebu Provincial Capitol building, need protection from obstruction.

“We the people from Cebu City give great care to preserve the heritage sites. We are very proud and we will not let it go so that the next generation will have something to continue,” Rama said in Cebuano.

According to him, his administration supported and endorsed the BRT project believing that “it will not harm our heritage buildings.”

The mayor said there is a way to address the concern of other local chief executives who said that the beauty of the Capitol would be obstructed by the bus station being constructed across the old landmark.

This concern, he said, had been discussed during a meeting with the financing agencies such as the World Bank and Agence Française de Développement, as well as officials from the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

“Let’s agree that we will protect the Capitol, there is no argument there. The issue is the involvement of the governor who ordered that the CBRT be stopped,” he said.

On Wednesday, Cebu BRT project management office head, Engr. Norvin Imbong, told the Philippine News Agency that the DOTr would comply with the National Commission for Culture and Arts’ (NCCA) request to submit an archeological impact assessment to ensure that excavations and construction activities would not affect the Capitol.

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines declared the capitol a national historical landmark and is protected by law. (PNA)