CEBU Vice Gov. Glenn Soco has defended the Province’s P25 billion 2025 budget, saying it reflects revenue projections any administration may develop to match its plans and programs.
The vice governor’s statement followed Provincial Administrator Joseph “Ace” Durano’s disclosure a day earlier that the Capitol expects to collect only about P9 billion this year and has roughly P4 billion left to spend from July to December.
“Budgets are assumptions. You cannot determine the actual outcome until you’ve seen your revenues and income,” Soco said.
Soco likened budgeting to household planning: leaders may adopt either conservative or aggressive estimates, depending on their agenda.
He added that the former administration of governor Gwendolyn Garcia chose an optimistic stance after reviewing the Province’s projected income and a P14 billion Annual Investment Plan (AIP) that earmarked:
P3.8 billion for health services;
P3.5 billion for roads and bridges;
P3.3 billion for a bulk-water system serving 25 local government units;
P1.25 billion for gender and development; and
P371 million for disaster preparedness.
Approved by the Provincial Board (PB) on Dec. 2, 2024, the 2025 budget is 8.7 percent higher than the previous year’s P23 billion, making it the Province’s largest to date.
Process followed
Soco, who chaired the committee on budget and appropriations during last year’s deliberations, said the measure cleared every legal hurdle — certification by the Local Finance Committee, PB approval and review by the Department of Budget and Management.
Durano said only P2.1 billion remains in the 2025 operating budget, with another P2 billion available from the general fund. After fixed expenses such as salaries, the Capitol has about P350 million a month for programs
and services.
Although provincial coffers hold roughly P5 billion in cash, Durano said much of that money is locked in trust funds — including the Special Education Fund — and cannot be diverted to general spending.
He called the P25 billion target “wishful thinking” and said future proposals under Gov. Pamela Baricuatro must rest on confirmed revenue sources.
“For transparency, the governor ordered that the proposed budget must be based on actual fund sources,” Durano said.
Baricuatro also told department heads to submit concrete program proposals and align them with national templates from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Soco signaled readiness to help the new administration craft a realistic and sustainable 2026 budget.
“Let’s move forward,” he said. / CDF