Baricuatro to slash province’s ‘bloated’ 2026 budget

Local

THE Cebu Provincial Government is about to operate on its tightest budget in recent years.

From this year’s P25 billion appropriation, Governor Pamela Baricuatro is preparing to slash next year’s spending plan to nearly half, setting a proposed budget of only P10 billion to P11 billion for 2026.

Baricuatro laid out the direction of her administration in a press briefer on Wednesday, August 27, explaining that her team could no longer sustain the pattern of increasingly bigger budgets, stressing that fiscal discipline is now necessary.

“We have to live within our means. Para nako, we cannot go beyond what we’re earning... Bloated kaayo ang budget bitaw,” she said.

She said department heads have already submitted their individual proposals to the Capitol for review.

During the initial round of deliberations, Baricuatro and the provincial officials reached a consensus to scale back expenditures across offices.

According to her, part of this adjustment will include the creation of a debt service program that will allow the Capitol to settle its outstanding payables in a more orderly manner.

Despite the steep reduction, Baricuatro assured that her administration will keep essential services as the backbone of the 2026 budget.

She said the biggest portions of the proposed allocation will go to health, education, and food security. In particular, she emphasized the need to upgrade public hospitals, describing healthcare as a crucial priority for Cebu.

Education will remain a strong focus as well, with funds intended to support programs for schools and students across the province.

Food security, meanwhile, forms the third major component of her administration’s plan, reflecting the government’s aim to stabilize food supply for local communities even while tightening spending.

The governor also placed the proposed 2026 budget within the context of the province’s recent fiscal history.

Her P10 billion to P11 billion proposal amounts to a 56 to 60 percent drop from the P25 billion approved in 2025.

Under the previous leadership of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Cebu allocated P23 billion in 2024, P20.15 billion in 2023, and P18 billion in 2022.

These figures show that the Capitol had steadily increased its annual budget in recent years, peaking in 2025 before Baricuatro decided to reverse the trend.

Baricuatro said more details of the budget proposal will be revealed during her State of the Province Address on Friday, August 29.

That presentation is expected to outline how the Capitol will implement the reductions while still delivering on its promises to improve healthcare, strengthen education, and guarantee food security for Cebuano families.(MyTVCebu)