CEBU Gov. Pamela Baricuatro has reconstituted the Cebu People’s Action Center (CPAC) and imposed a 72-hour service resolution rule after the Provincial Board (PB) declined to fund the center as a separate office, citing legal and procedural concerns.
Under Executive Order (EO) 83, Series of 2025, CPAC is now placed directly under the Office of the Governor and designated as the Province’s centralized communications, complaints-handling and feedback mechanism, including its role as the provincial 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center.
The order was noted during the PB’s first regular session for 2026 on Tuesday, Jan. 20. 72-hour rule
The EO requires all Capitol offices to provide a resolution, concrete action or clear status update on complaints within 72 hours of receipt.
CPAC head Ruben Licera said the reconstitution addressed gaps in the earlier EO 5 by clearly defining the center’s roles, functions and responsibilities and moving it from the Provincial Information Office (PIO) to the Office of the Governor, where most directives originate.
PB’s decision
The PB earlier argued that without an ordinance formally creating an office, CPAC cannot legally appropriate a standalone budget for it.
CPAC existed as a program under the PIO, not as an office with its own staffing, mandate, or organizational structure. Budgeting rules require clarity on personnel, functions and accountability lines, according to the PB.
Since CPAC was operating under the PIO, the PB concluded that its funding should remain within the PIO or the Office of the Governor — not as a separate item.
24/7 platforms
Now as part of the governor’s office, CPAC will operate as a round-the-clock multichannel platform, with a centralized ticketing and tracking system. It is also tasked to mobilize volunteers for provincial programs and emergencies and to coordinate with all provincial departments.
All offices were directed to designate focal persons to work with CPAC and to comply with the 72-hour response rule.
The move followed the PB’s decision to remove CPAC’s separate budget from the 2026 spending plan and transfer the P14 million initially intended for the center to the Office of the Governor, after determining that CPAC remained a program rather than a formally established office. / CDF