'Doable', 'impossible' proposals mark Cebu City 2026 budget

Local

SOME Cebu City government departments have submitted “doable” funding plans for 2026, while others have proposed “impossible” budgets that cannot be realistically implemented.

This was the assessment of Councilor Dave Tumulak on Monday, Oct. 27, as the City Council continued its deliberations on the proposed ₱13.4-billion annual budget.

Tumulak, who chairs the Committee on Budget and Finance, said that based on initial hearings, 8 to 12 departments have already presented their budget proposals.

The council’s review, he said, has revealed varying levels of practicality among offices, with some aligning with fiscal realities and others pushing requests beyond what the city can afford.

“As of this time, we have conducted hearings with around eight to twelve departments based on their submitted budget proposals. Some of these are doable, and some are impossible to implement,” Tumulak said. “That’s why we’re reminding department heads not to expect that everything they request will be granted. We’re still waiting for the City Treasurer’s report for the fourth quarter to see if we can achieve this year’s revenue target.”

Tumulak explained that the 2025 revenue performance will serve as the basis for next year’s spending plan, and departments must align their requests with the city’s actual capacity to fund them.

Without naming specific offices, Tumulak cited excessive manpower requests as among the proposals considered impractical under the city’s 2026 fiscal outlook.

“I don’t want to name departments, but to cite an item—one of the impossible proposals involves manpower,” he said. “There are too many Job Orders, and some are still requesting additional casual employees. Our vision for 2026 is more focused on services for the people. Yes, it’s true their manpower budget will not reach 45 percent; what we aim for in 2026 is only 40 percent, not 45.”

Tumulak said some offices proposed unrealistic amounts that far exceed reasonable funding levels, given the city’s existing commitments and limited revenue base.

“Yes, there are department offices that submitted unrealistic amounts. We’ve met with department heads to remind them that I can’t give assurance for budgets that are ‘suntok sa buwan’ (a shot in the dark),” he said.

“This budget hearing is very different from previous ones. It’s not offensive or defensive. My way of questioning the budget is to make them realize what’s realistic. The goal of the mayor is to prioritize services, not more manpower.”

Tumulak added that while the council cannot revise submitted proposals, it can cut or add items within the same department, but cannot transfer funds from one office to another.

“We cannot revise proposals because they’ve already been submitted, but we can cut or add within the same department,” he said. “We cannot transfer from one to another.”

He also noted that only the Department of Management and Development Planning (DMDP) and the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) have had their budgets cleared for approval so far.

Mayor Nestor Archival earlier submitted a ₱13.4-billion proposed budget for 2026, around 8 percent lower than this year’s ₱14.6 billion. Tumulak said, however, that the figure may still be trimmed down after the council’s ongoing review.

“The ₱13.7-billion proposed budget may still be trimmed down,” he said. “There are measures we have not yet achieved, like the Real Property Tax (RPT) ordinance, which remains unsigned.”

Archival said his 2026 budget proposal is built around “practical revenue targets” ranging from ₱9.5 billion to ₱11.5 billion, aligning with what the city can realistically collect.

“The practical revenue nga atong mahibaw-an is something like ₱9.5 to ₱10 billion,” the mayor said in an earlier interview. “So akong gihangyo sa assessor, City Treasurer’s Office, ug tanan nga revenue-generating offices nga mu-target ta og something like ₱11.5 billion. Within that, dinha na ta mukuha sa atong budget per department.”

Last year, the City Council slashed the 2025 budget from ₱17.9 billion to ₱14.6 billion, citing overestimated income projections and lack of cash backing. Archival said his administration is determined to avoid the same mistake.

“Kung imong tan-awon, naa silay budget pero basically way kwarta,” Archival said. “Mao na nga akong gi-request nga i-revisit nila ang ilang mga gasto sa previous years before proposing new allocations.”

Under the 2026 proposal, around ₱6.5 billion or 43 percent of the total will go to general public services, while ₱3.9 billion will fund social services, and ₱762 million will be allocated for economic services.

The city also earmarked ₱675 million for calamity response, ₱768 million for the local development fund, and over ₱750 million, or 5 percent, for barangay aid.

Archival said the spending plan reflects his administration’s priorities — healthcare, education, food security, and digital governance — and focuses on what can be realistically funded and delivered.(TGP)