Garcia: ‘Round-the-clock City Hall’ is good but going digital is better

Local

CEBU CITY Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia is supporting the planned “24/7 City Hall” but digital solutions would serve the public better than keeping employees working around the clock.

Garcia welcomed the incoming administration’s push to extend City Hall operations for night-shift workers, but emphasized that a mobile application would be a more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable way to deliver government services.

In a press conference on Monday, May 19, Garcia said expanding public access is important, but a mobile app could achieve this without the higher operational costs of 24/7 staffing.

“I hope it will be a successful undertaking under the incoming administration,” Garcia said in Cebuano.

“I also hope that in the future, other government agencies like the BIR, SSS, and Pag-IBIG will join the 24-hour public service because those are the offices people really need,” he added.

Garcia explained that during his one-year term, his administration had already studied the feasibility of extending City Hall operations. However, they concluded that digital transformation would be the better route.

“We looked into this possibility, but we realized the overhead costs would increase—electricity, air conditioning, night differential pay… Our conclusion was to create an app where citizens could apply for services online and get responses online. All they would need to do is print documents at home,” Garcia said.

Garcia was referring to the proposed “Cebutizen App,” a digital platform intended to streamline access to permits, certifications, and other services without the need to physically visit City Hall.

“This app was part of our plan, and we had already started online transactions for permits and the City Treasurer’s Office. Unfortunately, my term is only for a year, and we were not able to fully implement it,” he said.

The 24/7 City Hall initiative was introduced by Mayor-elect Nestor Archival Sr., who said the move was meant to accommodate residents who work night shifts, particularly those in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

“This is the only City Hall probably in the whole country that never sleeps,” Archival said in an earlier interview.

Garcia said he respects the direction of the new leadership and hopes they will consider continuing the groundwork his administration laid for digital service delivery.

“I’m supportive of the incoming administration. Let it be. But I hope they also continue what I started—developing the app—so we don’t have to require employees to work overtime,” he said.

Garcia said the city had already piloted a similar platform during the Palarong Pambansa, which was developed in partnership with a private company.

“It worked really well, but elections happened, and I will no longer be serving,” he said. “Hopefully, our plans will continue.”

Archival and Vice Mayor-elect Tomas Osmeña have both emphasized that the “Mayor of the Night” initiative is part of a broader plan to align government services with the schedules of Cebu’s night-shift workers and promote inclusive economic growth.(TGP)