CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival reported the implementation of 144 projects across health, infrastructure, and social services during his first 184 days in office in a year-end report delivered on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.
Archival highlighted key achievements such as the release of P80.3 million in hospitalization assistance and the “CitiFine” digital payment system, while outlining a 19-point agenda for 2026 that includes completing the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).
“Even with budget limitations, we were still able to implement and complete a number of projects,” Archival said.
The CCMC was recognized as one of the Top 5 local government hospitals in Central Visayas for excellence in public health service delivery and implementation of universal health care in 2025.
Archival also committed to completing the long-delayed CCMC facility by the end of 2026, identifying it as one of the city’s flagship priorities.
Under health programs, the City Hospitalization Assistance and Medicines Program (Champ) released P80.3 million in benefits to 8,487 patients over a six-month period. The city government also cleared P18.7 million worth of backlog payments covering two years and benefiting 959 additional patients, Archival’s year-end report showed.
Food security
To address food affordability and farmer protection, the City entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Agriculture Region 7 for the implementation of the P20-per-kilo rice program.
Farmers also received expanded crop and livestock insurance coverage through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, aimed at reducing losses due to disasters and climate-related risks.
Education
In education and workforce development, Cebu City opened enrollment for training programs in culinary arts, housekeeping, automotive services, computer systems services, and other skills under the Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP).
Plans were also finalized for the establishment of mobile libraries and barangay learning centers in partnership with the Cebu Librarians Association Inc.
The CTU–CCMC nursing program recorded a 100 percent passing rate in the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination, a good indicator of strengthened health education and training.
Employment facilitation remained a priority, with 828 applicants hired through local, mega, barangay, and sectoral job fairs conducted from July to December 2025.
Infrastructure
The City intensified 21 road rehabilitation and asphalting projects, covering nearly 9.8 kilometers across several barangays, including Pardo, Tisa, Lahug, Guadalupe, Talamban, Kamputhaw, and Duljo-Fatima.
Flood mitigation efforts included canal declogging and river desilting operations across the city.
Archival’s report showed 244 requests were completed, with 10,712 linear meters of drainage cleared, 15,026 sacks of waste collected, 274 truckloads of suction operations, and 1,794 cubic meters of spoils removed.
Digital governance
Cebu City earned national recognition for its Digital Innovation CitiFine Project, a digital payment system for city violations, after winning in the DOST–Wadhwani Smart Cities Contest. The project forms part of a broader push toward cashless and paperless transactions in city government.
The administration also designed an Integrated Digital Citizen Action Center, currently in the beta testing phase, to unify 24/7 city services, complaints handling, and citizen feedback.
Traffic, water, power
Traffic lights at the ML Quezon Avenue–Talamban intersection were installed, while utility services were expanded through water supply connections in NHA Busay, an area that had gone without water for 30 years.
The City also intensified spaghetti wire and cable clearing operations in partnership with VECO, particularly along major roads and festival routes.
Public safety, social services
The City distributed rice assistance to 44,223 beneficiaries in barangays affected by earthquakes and typhoons. It also updated geological mapping data to enhance disaster preparedness and response planning.
Twelve brand-new dump trucks were turned over to barangays to improve waste collection and emergency
response capabilities.
A total of P468 million worth of illegal drugs were destroyed in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
For 2026, Archival’s report identified 19 priority projects, including the completion of CCMC, construction of medium-rise buildings for socialized housing, expansion of solar-powered streetlights and government facilities, rollout of a citywide public toilet program, full integration of e-payment systems, underground cabling along portions of the Sinulog route, reduction of non-revenue water, and targeted development programs for vendors, drivers, and persons with disabilities. / CAV