End of term report

To our esteemed City Councilors, department heads, barangay captains, civil society partners, fellow workers in government, and fellow Dakbayanong Sugbuanon, maayong butag.

Thank you for being here today as we mark the close of a book that has largely been two-chaptered.

After two terms at the City Council, I was elected Vice Mayor in May of 2022 with the highest number of votes ever earned by a local candidate for any position in Cebu City.  

I have never taken this vote of confidence for granted.

As your former Vice Mayor and now outgoing Mayor, I have worked with intensity and fervor to deliver tangible results that uplift lives and strengthen communities.

My mission was simple: to provide stable leadership to the Sangguniang Panlungsod, steer it towards ensuring RESULTA, and provide strong support to everyone in government so we could collectively work for the betterment of the people of Cebu City.

Responsiveness. Education. Settlements. Urban Development. Livelihood. Transportation. Advancement.

During our watch, we did our utmost so that the Sangguniang Panlungsod could acquire all the tools needed to facilitate the completion of its deliverables, including making sure all councilors are issued service vehicles, office equipment, consultants and adequate staffing.

Ang RESULTA: the Sangguniang Panlungsod continued to become a bastion of law-making that sustained not only the socio-economic and socio-political concerns of the city and its inhabitants, but also of history, culture, the arts, and of urban development that did not sacrifice sustainability of the environment.

We created the Cebu City Heritage District and Heritage Council, instituted the Order of Rajah Tupas, the Cebu Heritage Awards, the Sugbuanong Bahandi awards, and passed the law that declared every month of August as Cebu City Arts Month.

We ensure the sustainable use of the coastline and the city’s waterfront, began the work that eventually led to the establishment of the Cebu City Marine Protected Area, drafted and then facilitated the passing of the law creating the Cebu City Animal Welfare Council and the establishment of animal welfare desks in police stations.

We approved the budget – allocation of amounts never before seen – without ever having to raise taxes.

But this chapter was cut short due to circumstances that was beyond my control.

When I assumed office in an acting capacity in May 2024 – and as full-fledged mayor in October – I did so not by ambition, but by duty; the duty to obey the lawful orders of duly constituted authorities to avoid a vacuum in the city’s leadership.

But although things were happening too fast and all unplanned, I nevertheless made a conscious and solemn commitment: to make use of the time I had –  from May 2024 to June 2025 – to transform the RESULTA vision from policy into action.

Responsiveness has been our compass.

We took on the challenge of the decades-old 93-1 issue and arranged for a way that would have allowed families who failed to avail the terms of the original contract to deal directly with the legal land owner and secure their rights over their homes.  

We assisted and provided the much-needed documents to the residents of 93-1 enabling them to avail of a PAGIBIG loan.

We reengaged the Cebu Ports Authority to try and resolve a deadlock over something that could have provided economic opportunities for the people, as well as the Metropolitan Cebu Water District, which is now providing water access to our upland barangays.

And we listened—to vendors, to fisherfolk, to the youth, our employees, and our stakeholders —to ensure that governance remained grounded in the people’s voice.

We returned the Sinulog to its original venue and, for the first time, the financial assistance to our senior citizens and our PWDs, and the salaries of our own workers, with valid appointments, is released on time.

Education was not just a promise.

Establishing a Cebu City College was our goal; one that the new administration, I hope, will consider bringing to fruition.

In the meantime, found a new home to the Cebu City Medical Center College of Nursing, one that they can proudly call their own.

We broke ground on the construction of five new four-story, twenty-classroom school buildings – one in San Jose, two in Labangon, one in Duljo-Fatima, and one in Tisa, approved the purchase school supplies and PE uniforms that the next administration can now distribute.

We provided Wi-Fi in 29 public schools to date, which I hope the next administration will expand further, and to Plaza Sugbo and Plaza Independencia.

Moreover, there is over ₱2.5 billion in the Special Education Fund for the next administration. These resources are earmarked to further uplift our youth and strengthen our public schools.

On Settlements, we aligned with the national 4PH program and prioritized city-owned lands for housing,

More importantly, we laid the groundwork for sustainable, inclusive shelter solutions that offer affordable terms through Pag-IBIG, with no down payment, and a monthly amortization subsidized by the government.

We signed a Memorandum of Agreement that would bring about a Cebu City Residential Park in Barangay Pulangbato that will give rise to 3,054 housing units across 19 mid-rise buildings for families displaced by demolitions, those in danger zones, and OFWs with families in Cebu City.

In Urban Development, we declared the downtown area—including Carbon Market—a heritage district through Ordinance 2720. The Heritage Council is now finalizing guidelines to ensure that development respects our cultural roots.

We preserved our identity while investing in slope protection, drainage, and biodiversity. We approved the commissioning of a study that will eventually lead to a Cebu City Drainage Masterplan which the new administration can pursue.

We conducted massive cleanup drives, participated by people who came in numbers never before seen.

We issued executive orders establishing the first and only marine sanctuary in Cebu City, worked hard to protect our mangrove habitats, and institutionalized trash traps to make sure our rivers are clean.

We finished and approved Cebu City’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Zoning Ordinance which now becomes our development direction and trajectory. The last time we had a land use plan was in 1995, during the time of my father.

Livelihood was strengthened through livelihood support programs sustained by sound fiscal management on our part.

As of this year, Cebu City holds ₱12.1 billion in cash assets: ₱7.9 billion in the General Fund, ₱1.5 billion in the Trust Fund, ₱2.5 billion in the Special Education Fund, and over $2.2 million in dollar accounts.

We achieved this without implementing Tax rates that would have negatively affected our employers and tax payers.

We are turning over a city with zero debt and enough reserves to sustain operations for the foreseeable future.

On Transportation, we worked with the Department of Transportation to ensure that the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project continues despite the view of the Cebu Capitol building.

We secured the road right of way that will pave further the way for the project’s eventual completion.

We procured tow trucks and improved the mobility of our traffic personnel. “Carmageddon”, we hope, will never happen again.

We also advocated for intermodal systems that move people efficiently while preserving our identity and pursued underground cabling that does away with our long-time problem of spaghetti wires that are fire hazards.

And in Advancing Governance, we ensured that government services became faster, more transparent, and more citizen-centered.

We also brought healthcare closer to the people. We allocated P30 million for maintenance medicine, which will breathe new life to the Preventive Healthcare and Medicines Program.

The Apas Super Health Center is operational. The Guba Hospital has new laboratory equipment , a new x-ray machine and a dedicated medical director to oversee all operations.

The Cebu City Medical Center is now under contract for completion from the third to seventh floors.

Today, I stand before you not only to report what we have done, but also to affirm that we are turning over a city that is fiscally sound, socially responsive, and institutionally stronger.

This is the RESULTA: A city with zero utang, with efficient systems particularly in revenue collection and ease-of-doing business, with sufficient resources for meaningful projects, programs, and initiatives, and with a clear and feasible roadmap for the future.

As I step down, I do so with confidence that Cebu City is in a stronger, more resilient position.

And to the next administration, I leave not just a city in a position of strength and sound fiscal health, and foundation and scaffolds built on integrity, action, and the unwavering belief that public service is a sacred trust.

Daghang salamat, Dakbayan sa Sugbo. Padayon ta sa serbisyo.

To my colleagues in the City Council, to our civil servants, and to my fellow candidates—thank you for your service and your commitment to Cebu. Let us continue to work together, wherever we may be and whatever our circumstance, for the good of our city.

To my worthy opponents, thank you for elevating the discourse. We gave the Cebuanos real choices.

To my family—my wife Kate and daughter Lexie, my dad Alvin and mom Ninette —thank you for your sacrifices, your strength, and your unwavering belief in me.

To the people of Cebu: thank you for being part of this incredible journey. I am proud of what we have achieved together. I leave office not with regret, but with hope—hope that the next chapter for Cebu City will be even brighter.

I remain, as always, your humble servant.