A MEMBER of the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) has formally called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to allocate P5 billion from the national budget to rehabilitate the province’s aging ports. The request is based on the urgent need for upgrades to enhance both passenger and cargo traffic.
First District PB Member Lakambini Reluya proposed a resolution formally requesting the Office of the President to allocate the amount to rehabilitate all ports in Cebu Province.
Speaking to the media after the regular session on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, Reluya urged the National Government to allocate funds to Cebu to address traffic congestion and prioritize marine traffic mitigation.
“I thought that through the Department of Transportation, the ports of Cebu would be given an allocation to navigate the severe traffic congestion,” Reluya stated in a mix of Cebuano and English. “It’s about time we need maritime mitigation that would help in the improvement of traffic congestion.”
She clarified that all existing ports, regardless of their scale or size, would be considered for allocation under the proposal.
However, 7th District PB Member Cesar Baricuatro shared his insights during the regular session on the need to revise the resolution due to the large number of ports across Cebu’s municipalities. He emphasized the importance of identifying which ports need rehabilitation, stating that if President Marcos allocates the funds, the money should be directed to those specific ports. Baricuatro also offered to assist in the identification process.
Reluya, who also chairs the committee on commerce and industry, said the focus of the initiative is on rehabilitating and upgrading the port system to boost the region’s commerce and industry.
While the P5 billion allocation is only an estimate, Reluya said the final list of ports to be rehabilitated will be determined by Gov. Pamela Baricuatro, the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) and the Department of Economic Planning and Development. She added that the CPA was already informed of the intention to rehabilitate the ports and had expressed support for the initiative.
Reluya specifically asked Mandaue City Lone District PB Member Olin Seno to follow up with the Office of the President regarding the approved resolution. / DPC