THE Cebu City Council approved a P13 million renovation project for the legislative building, primarily aimed at enhancing its lighting fixtures.
Authored by Councilor Jerry Guardo, who heads the infrastructure committee, the approved resolution on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, authorizes outgoing Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia to sign a construction agreement with contractor Southern Bridge Philippines Corp. and Double MM Builders Consortium.
Before the approval, Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera reminded the council that the resolution specifically concerned the contract for the legislative building’s lighting.
Scrutiny
The project had previously come under scrutiny, particularly in an executive session where it was originally budgeted at P19 million.
During that executive session on Sept. 4, 2024, Councilor, now Mayor-elect, Nestor Archival had raised concerns about the planned installation of RGB (red, green, blue) lighting, citing recent Commission on Audit (COA) findings that indicated the City Government had been overspending on electricity.
Archival was not present during the regular session on Wednesday. SunStar Cebu tried to reach out to the mayor-elect but he had not responded as of press time.
Archival, an engineer, questioned the necessity of such an extensive lighting project given the City’s poverty levels and expressed concerns about the ongoing electricity costs associated with the new lighting system.
During the earlier scrutiny, Ma. Lilibeth del Mar, representing the Department of Public Works and Engineering, explained that the proposed lighting would primarily operate at night and could be programmed to turn off at midnight.
She also mentioned that a consultant from the mayor’s office had suggested the lighting as a current trend.
Guardo, who initially submitted the renovation resolution last Aug. 14, clarified that the lighting is intended to enhance city tourism.
The proposed lighting system reportedly features programming for 12 events, including significant celebrations like Christmas and the Sinulog festival. / JPS