CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival has welcomed the proposal for lifestyle checks on government officials, saying he is ready to open his records to scrutiny starting with his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
“Sure, ang mo handle ana.. Siguro naa man miy SALN, unahon siguro nato ang SALN. In fact, open ra man na. Open ta ana. Ang akong hangyo lang nila is rundown if unsa ilang gusto. Ato ng buhaton. Sure, I am encouraging in fact tanan opisyales sa government. I am willing,” Archival said in a press conference on Monday, September 15, 2025.
Archival’s remarks came after Councilor Sisinio Andales filed a motion before the City Council calling for institutionalized lifestyle checks for both elected and appointed officials in Cebu City.
Andales stressed in his privilege speech during the City Council’s September 10 session that the move was not a witch hunt or politically motivated, but a measure to restore the people’s trust and confidence in government.
He said Cebu City, like many other local government units (LGUs), has not been immune to alleged irregularities in public spending, noting that the demand for transparency is now stronger than ever.
“One must remember that public office is a public trust,” he stressed.
To institutionalize the process, Andales proposed the creation of a Local Integrity and Lifestyle Audit Task Force.
The group would be composed of the Internal Audit Service Office, Human Resource and Development Office, and City Legal Office, with coordination from national oversight agencies, such as the Office of the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit (COA), and Civil Service Commission (CSC).
The task force would be tasked with reviewing SALNs of city officials in line with Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and comparing them with actual assets and spending patterns. (CAV)
