At noon tomorrow, Monday, June 30, 2025, a new leadership will officially begin in Cebu City and Cebu Province. Mayor-elect Nestor Archival and Gov.-elect Pamela Baricuatro will assume office, ushering in what many hope will be a time for unity and cooperation.
The signs are encouraging as the two recently elected leaders have appeared together in public events, announcing that they will work closely for the benefit of Cebuanos. Road improvements questioned or stopped in the past may now proceed, traffic solutions may be tackled across city and provincial boundaries and there will finally be only one Sinulog celebration.
Archival has promised to make Cebu City “Number One” again. Baricuatro has emphasized that healthcare is her top priority and has questioned the cost of legacy programs she plans to discontinue. Together, they’ve committed to finally resolving the long-running 93-1 land dispute and supporting the delayed Metro Cebu Expressway project.
What Day One means is that no more promises, because now the real work begins. So does the public’s, if we want the new officials to account for what they promised.
I had suggested about a month ago for a promise tracker, a system to check actions against electoral promises. Every campaign season is filled with promises of a better Cebu, cleaner government, more jobs, less road congestion and flooding and improved infrastructure. These promises should not just be forgotten, post-election.
One way to remember, to not forget, is to track what they’ve done and compare it to what they said they would do.
Already, red flags are emerging. Archival warned of potential delays in the turnover of critical financial documents from the previous administration, which could disrupt city services. Baricuatro has said her transition team has been left to swim, with limited support.
These aren’t excuses. These are signals that the public needs to keep paying attention.
Here are examples of what the public can monitor:
Cebu City Medical Center. Archival promised to complete it in his first year. Has construction resumed? What’s the timetable for completion?
Health funding in Cebu Province. Baricuatro pledged to reallocate budgets toward better healthcare. Has the new provincial budget been adjusted?
Metro Cebu Expressway. Both officials expressed support. When will the next phase break ground? Again, what’s the date for when Cebuanos can heave a sigh of relief?
Land swap implementation. Will the thousands of affected urban poor residents finally get security of tenure?
The tracker doesn’t have to be complicated or high-tech. It can be a shared Google Sheet, a regular radio update, a barangay Facebook post, or a chart on a school or office bulletin board. The format doesn’t matter; the commitment to keep monitoring does.
Those taking office tomorrow should not see promise tracking as nitpicking or as hoping they’ll fail. On the contrary, sincere officials should welcome public vigilance. Good governance requires transparency and accountability.
They promised. We check.