THE Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) is seeking a P152.9 million budget for 2026 while simultaneously admitting it is struggling with a severe manpower shortage.
During budget deliberations on Thursday, Oct. 23, CCDRRMO head Aderson Comar revealed that the number of personnel dropped from over 400 in 2023 to less than 300 in 2025. This leaves Cebu City, with a population of over a million, with fewer personnel to answer disasters — a reduction that Comar said has affected operations despite the recent procurement of new fire trucks and rescue equipment.
BUDGET PARADOX. The admission of a workforce reduction intrigued Councilor Dave Tumulak, chairman of the committee on budget and finance. Tumulak noted that the CCDRRMO’s proposed 2026 budget for personal services for casual employees actually increased to P17.8 million, up from P15.4 million in 2025. He argued that while the increase is reflected in the proposal, the actual reduction in workers this year remains unexplained.
LACK OF ANSWERS. When pressed for an answer, Comar said he could not immediately explain why the number of employees was reduced, adding that hiring and funding decisions are handled by the city’s Human Resource Development Office and the Budget Office.
Comar added that several employees, including trainers, were not renewed this year, leaving many functions under-resourced.
The office’s current breakdown includes five regular employees, 82 casuals and 195 job orders for a total of 282 personnel.
THE IMPACT: COVERAGE GAPS. The manpower shortage has left the city vulnerable and expensive new equipment sitting idle, according to officials. Acting Vice Mayor Winston Pepito noted that the newly acquired fire and rescue trucks require qualified manpower to operate them. Comar confirmed this, stating that several units, ambulances and rescue trucks remain unused due to the lack of trained crews and drivers. “We have new firetrucks and dump trucks, but we lack drivers with LTO restriction code 123,” he said.
Comar also emphasized the urgent need for more rescuers, referencing a recent large-scale operation: “Og nahitabo ang Bogo sa atoa, we need more rescuers (Had the Bogo earthquake happened here, we would need more rescuers).”
He admitted his requests for personnel renewal were submitted “three times” but were all lost in processing. Councilors asked him to provide a list of unrenewed personnel and their performance records to determine if the non-renewals were merit-based or procedural.
THE POLITICAL CONTEXT. The staffing issues are linked to the 2025 midterm elections and the subsequent administration shift. Mayor Nestor Archival has implemented a city-wide manpower reduction, citing a reported P6 billion budget deficit. This move prompted Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr. to urge the mayor to hire more disaster personnel specifically to combat persistent flooding.
UNPAID VOLUNTEERS. The problems extend beyond just the core staff. It was revealed that barangay disaster volunteers remain unpaid for months. A staff member attributed the delay to the “change of administration” and confusion over who was responsible for verifying the master list and disbursing the honorariums.
A CCDRRMO representative explained that with the shift of administration, there was confusion as to the appointment of a responsible person to handle the disbursement. The office added that disbursement could be expedited in the remaining months of the year.
WHAT’S NEXT. Comar said the agency is pushing to acquire more tents and scuba-diving equipment to provide underwater search and rescue operations. He also highlighted critical gaps in coverage, acknowledging there is no active rescue team in the city’s northern barangays because their contracts were not renewed.
He noted that responders during the last Sinulog Festival focused mainly on urban barangays, leaving mountain villages undercovered, a gap they aim to address before the Asian Summit early next year. / EHP