Cebu City councilor flags P1-M reimbursement spent for Rotary conference.

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CEBU City ouncilor Harold Go questioned the basis for a ₱1-million reimbursement for expenses incurred during a Rotary conference.

The City Council, however, approved the allocation during its regular session on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

The resolution, authored by Councilor Nyza Archival, seeks to charge ₱1 million under the City Sponsored Activities–Other Activities of the Office of the Mayor to cover expenses related to the Rotary District 3860 District Conference 2026.

Go challenged the absence of clear criteria for granting such assistance and asked why public funds should be used to subsidize a private organization’s conference.

In a public statement posted Wednesday, Go said he disagreed with the expenditure, pointing to other basic needs of Cebu City residents.

“Wa gyud ko ka uyon ani nga gasto,” Go said.

He said the issue was not Rotary itself but the use of public funds and whether the city could justify the expenditure based on a clear and measurable public benefit.

“Dili mahimo nga tungod kay available ang pondo, gastohon na dayon. Public funds are not simply available money. They are the people’s money, and every peso must have a clear, necessary, and measurable public benefit,” he added.

During the council discussion, Go asked what basis the city used in granting the P1-million reimbursement and whether other nonprofit and civic organizations could receive similar assistance.

Archival said Rotary has been a long-standing partner of Cebu City. She cited its projects benefiting public schools, libraries, communities, emergency response, and health institutions.

Go, however, pressed whether the city had standardized criteria for providing financial assistance to organizations.

“Do we standardize this, or discretion ra gyud ni sa Mayor kinsa iyang tagaan?” Go asked.

Councilor Philip Zafra said there were currently no definitive guidelines governing the use of the City Sponsored Activities fund.

He said the executive department, through the Office of the Mayor, decides how much subsidy may be provided for activities charged to the account.

Zafra said the council could establish guidelines through an ordinance or include provisions in the annual budget ordinance.(TGP)