City Hall’s P4-million backup power plan hits snag

Local

A PLAN to spend nearly P4 million on a power transfer switch for the Cebu City Hall’s Executive Building has stirred debate among city lawmakers, who are now calling for deeper scrutiny of the proposal.

The resolution, filed by Councilor Joel Garganera, aims to authorize the purchase of an automatic transfer switch (ATS) under the Department of General Services (DGS) to maintain a seamless power supply during outages.

City officials said the equipment would enable an automatic shift to backup power, preventing data loss and disruptions in critical systems and services.

“This is intended for the Executive Building for uninterrupted power and to protect our equipment from power outages and increase safety,” Garganera said during the council's regular session on Tuesday, July 29.

“It will minimize downtime, reduce risks of damage from surges, and ensure continuous operation of critical systems,” he added.

The proposal, however, was met with skepticism over its cost and necessity.

Councilor Nice Archival flagged the P3.97-million budget as excessive, urging the council to evaluate whether the amount was justified.

Meanwhile, Councilor Harold Go questioned the technical rationale behind the procurement, stressing that an ATS is different from a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), which protects electronics from surges and outages.

“The APS is just a switch to allow automatic transfer of power,” Go said. “If you’re talking about equipment protection, that’s a different system — it’s called a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), and each office should have one.”

He also suggested that manual switching could be a more affordable option.

In response to these concerns, the council voted to defer approval and instead hold an executive session on August 12 to further assess the proposal alongside the DGS and other concerned departments.

The requested funds, according to supporting documents from the DGS, are already covered in the 2025 budget under account code 1061-300-50799990-18, with complete certifications of availability and appropriation.

If approved, the resolution would authorize the city’s finance offices and the mayor to process the fund release.(TGP)