P178-million cut on Cebu 2026 budget proposed

Local

RED flags over duplicated, excessive, and misaligned budget items prompted a proposed trim in Cebu’s 2026 spending plan.

The Committee on Budget and Appropriations has recommended a possible P178-million reduction from the P11.9-billion proposed annual budget of the Cebu Provincial Government for 2026 after its review found several allocations that were recurring across offices, excessive in amount, or charged to offices without clear justification.

During the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Monday, Dec., committee chair and Association of Barangay Councils president Celestino “Tining” Martinez clarified that the recommendation does not amount to a major budget cut and represents only a small portion of the overall proposal.

“We just want to make a clarificatory explanation that no substantial deduction or proposal to slash the budget has been made. The total amount that we are expecting to cut from the budget is just around P178 million,” Martinez said.

Martinez explained that the committee’s examination of proposed budgets revealed items that were redundant, overlapping with allocations already provided to other departments, or excessive.

The review also questioned funding proposed for offices not directly under the provincial government and which had not previously received provincial allocations.

One of the major proposed reductions involves the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CPDRRMO), where the committee recommended removing P14.5 million from its P391-million proposed budget for 2026.

The questioned allocations include P3 million for climate-resilient production activities through veterinary services, P3 million for African swine fever and avian influenza surveillance, P5 million for climate-smart agri-fishery inputs, P1 million for standby pesticides, and P2.5 million for support to agri-fishery and farmers’ associations.

Martinez said the committee found these programs non-reflective of the mandate of the CPDRRMO, noting that such activities fall under the Provincial Veterinary Office and the Provincial Agricultural Office.

The committee recommended excluding these items from the disaster fund and requiring the CPDRRMO to submit a revised spending plan strictly aligned with disaster risk reduction and management purposes.

During the session, Second District Board Member Stanley Caminero appealed for the retention of at least a portion of the climate-related allocations, citing the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management law.

“In the event that there’s calamities in the future, at least there’s a budget that we can supplement. I’m not asking that the entire budget be allocated here, any amount be it P500K or 1million will do to suppor agri-fishery…” Caminero said.

The committee also proposed completely removing P30 million allocated for the Serbisyo Caravan, capability training, youth training, and the ECLIP program under the Office of the Governor, stating that these do not align with the province’s current thrusts and objectives.

For the Provincial Tourism, Culture, and Arts Office, the committee recommended cutting P39 million, or 57 percent, from the P68-million proposed budget.

Youth Development Programs were also recommended for a P31.7-million reduction, or 55 percent, from the P57.4-million proposal.

The committee further recommended deleting the entire P14-million proposed budget for the Cebu People’s Action Center (CPAC), citing its lack of formal organization as a provincial government office and the risk of future disallowances.

The proposed P11.7-million budget for Sugbo News was reduced to P5.3 million, while the P25-million proposed allocation for Suroy-Suroy Sugbo was cut to P16 million following the governor’s earlier pronouncement that the program would not be continued.

The Provincial Information Office’s proposed P9.9-million budget was likewise reduced to P5 million.

Martinez assured board members that the health sector would not be affected by the proposed adjustments.

The P4.86-billion proposed health budget includes P679 million for hospital construction, improvements, and medical equipment, P2.96 billion for hospital operations, and P1.2 billion for the Provincial Health Office.

Martinez said the committee report has been approved and will be taken up for second reading next week, stressing that no actual deductions have been made yet.

He added that any final reductions will only be decided during the second reading, with December 22 set as the final regular session of the provincial board for 2025.(MyTVCebu)