POLITICS played part in the removal of the proposed P88 million livelihood program from the first supplemental budget (SB1).
This was the statement of Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia on Thursday, March 27, a day after the council approved the SB1 during a tension-filled session.
Despite the move, Garcia was glad that the other items were not scrapped, including the budget for the P35,000 Charter Day bonus for City Hall employees.
“But at any rate, overall, I’m very grateful that all other items were approved,” Garcia told reporters.
“Ig Mayo 13 kay mawala ra ning tanang (pamolitika),” he added. (On May 13, all this politicking will disappear.)
Candidates
Garcia is running for mayor in the midterm elections that will happen on Monday, May 12. The other candidates are his former ally, dismissed mayor Michael Rama, Councilor Nestor Archival, former Customs chief Yogi Filemon Ruiz, and independent candidate Julieto Co.
Before approving the SB1, the council trimmed the original P635 million SB1 proposal to P587.8 million. The most significant cut was the removal of a proposed livelihood assistance fund, which Garcia had championed.
Tensions ran high during Wednesday’s budget deliberation. Garcia’s ally Councilor James Anthony Cuenco offered to resign as member of the committee on budget and finance due to the scrapping of the P88 million allocation. Cuenco later withdrew his resignation after a brief recess.
Release
Despite the budget tension, Garcia instructed the city departments to expedite the release of the bonus, assuring employees that it would be distributed before the first week of April.
“This is not an ‘ayuda,’” Garcia said, referring to emergency aid. “This is a regular program of the City Government.”
The approval of SB1 came just before the ban on the release of public funds from March 28 to May 11.
The Charter Day bonus, or the Service Excellence Incentive, is given annually to city employees. It was delayed after SB1 underwent two budget hearings, scrutiny and revision since it was proposed in February 2025. /EHP
