CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival is pushing a ₱981,977,525.79 Supplemental Budget No. 1 for 2026, with allocations focused on public services, infrastructure, and environmental programs.
The largest share—₱500 million—has been earmarked for garbage hauling and disposal services, amid rising costs that have already exceeded ₱400 million.
Archival said the city is exploring measures to reduce landfill dependence by converting waste into fertilizer, particularly to address the high cost of farm inputs.
“We told barangay officials that we will have to reduce or divert garbage going to the landfill. Instead, we will process it into fertilizer, especially now that we are struggling with fertilizer costs,” he said during a press conference at City Hall on Tuesday.
Another major allocation is the ₱35 million fuel subsidy for public utility drivers. The mayor said validation is ongoing to ensure that only legitimate beneficiaries are included.
“We already have around 5,000 names, but more are coming in. Some claim to be habal-habal drivers, so we need to validate them properly,” Archival said.
The proposed budget also includes ₱29 million for the teachers’ upgrading program, ₱38.6 million for manpower reinforcement under the peace and order program, and ₱25.7 million for barangay affairs.
The Cebu Zoo rehabilitation is allocated ₱10.7 million, while greenhouse and irrigation projects will receive a combined ₱20 million to boost local food production.
Infrastructure projects totaling ₱82.2 million will fund flood control, drainage, and road networks across several barangays, including Basak San Nicolas, Guba, Tabunan, Budlaan, Paril, Sambag II, Sirao, Sawang Calero, Bonbon, Pung-ol Sibugay, Mabini, and T. Padilla.
The rehabilitation of the Legislative Building is pegged at ₱50 million, alongside funding for evacuation centers and multipurpose halls in various barangays.
Other capital outlays include the procurement of a truck scale for the Budlaan batching plant, water supply facilities, pumping equipment, and ICT systems, each with allocations of at least ₱10 million.
Archival assured that salaries for job order employees are funded through December and that the city’s asphalting program will continue using reallocated funds.
“We requested ₱35 million for asphalting. The budget was closed but not obligated, so we placed it here to ensure continuity,” he said.
The fiscal breakdown includes ₱754,001,539.36 for maintenance and other operating expenses, ₱210,190,182.04 for capital outlay, and ₱17,723,450 under special accounts, leaving an unappropriated balance of ₱62,354.39.
Funding sources comprise ₱436.6 million from the reversion of accounts payable, ₱527.6 million from the realignment of continuing appropriations, and ₱17.7 million from unused Local Development Fund projects in 2024 and 2026.
Archival emphasized that these funds represent savings from unimplemented projects, assuring that no ongoing programs will be affected.
| Written by Caecent No-ot Magsumbol/FPL
