Cebu targets P11.9-B 2026 budget

The provincial government of Cebu has proposed an annual budget of P11.9 billion for 2026, which Governor Pamela Baricuatro said is a more realistic figure that reflects the province’s true revenue capacity.

During a news conference Monday, Baricuatro said the proposed budget is a 52.4 percent reduction from the previous administration’s P25-billion budget. She said the move is an effort to end what she called “bloated budgeting.”

The proposed allocations include P1.3 billion for hospital upgrades and P1.45 billion for infrastructure projects.

“Our distribution of the budget for infrastructure and healthcare is more or less even because we do not want to focus wholly on infrastructure while our hospitals are a mess,” Baricuatro said.

A portion of the budget will also go toward constructing relief warehouses for the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in the cities of Carcar and Danao.