CEBU City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has denied allegations that public funds were realigned for livelihood programs to serve as a political tool ahead of the midterm elections on May 12, 2025.
Garcia said in a press conference on Monday, Jan. 27, that the budget for livelihood programs has existed since the administrations of the late mayor Edgardo Labella and dismissed mayor Michael Rama.
The local chief executive clarified that there was no budgetary realignment but only implementation.
He explained that the current livelihood program is funded through allocation approved during the Rama administration.
“Vote buying”
The issue arose after Councilor Nestor Archival alleged during an executive session last Jan. 23 that the P120 million budget originally allocated for parks and playgrounds was realigned for livelihood support.
Archival also claimed that P125 million meant for the Ecopark project was used to pay 900 job order personnel tasked with distributing P5,000 each to 9,000 livelihood beneficiaries.
Archival believes the transfer of funds constitutes “technical malversation.”
“What makes this even more concerning is the timing of the program, just before the elections. This so-called ‘livelihood program’ appears to be a blatant form of vote-buying orchestrated by the executive, exploiting public funds for political gain in a crucial election period,” he said.
“This misuse of taxpayer’s money serves no genuine purpose and undermines public trust,” he added.
The councilor is running for mayor in the upcoming elections against Garcia, Rama, Yogi Filemon Ruiz and Julieto Co.
Garcia said realigning a budget requires council approval.
“He (Archival) would’ve known,” he said.
Request
Archival requested the City Treasurer’s Office to investigate the alleged
fund transfers.
He also invited officials from the City Budget Office, Department of Social Welfare Services, Cebu City Agriculture Department, Department of Manpower Development and Placement, Division of the Urban Poor and other offices involved in livelihood programs for an executive session on Feb. 12.
The session will review the status of the City’s livelihood programs.
The topic of dole-outs for pro-poor programs has been discussed before the 2025 budget approval.
According to a previous SunStar report, one of the pro-poor programs that was slashed to P1 was the P100 million dedicated for economic grants and livelihood programs.
Another program affected was a startup initiative for youth graduates aimed at paving their way to employment, with a budget of P5 million, half of the proposed P10 million.
Archival previously acknowledged during the budget deliberation the benefits of dole-outs but emphasized that they should only be provided if sufficient funds are available.
He added that such allocations could be politicized and may not benefit everyone equally. / JPS