Finalize projects MOAs, liquidate aid

OUTGOING Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia set firm deadlines for local government units (LGUs) to submit memorandums of agreement (MOAs) for ongoing provincial projects and to liquidate financial assistance amid the transition to the new administration.

In a meeting with most of the town and city mayors on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, Garcia urged local leaders to comply with requirements for solar lamp distribution, school armchair allocation, the Sugbo Maisan program and the liquidation of financial aid disbursed since 2019.

Garcia’s term will end on June 30 after she lost her reelection bid for a third term as governor (sixth overall) to neophyte politician Pamela Baricuatro in the May 12 midterm polls.

Garcia said the directive is for the LGUs’ protection, citing pronouncements from the incoming administration on accountability.

She said her flagship programs Suroy Suroy Sugbo, Pasigarbo sa Sugbo, Sugbo Negosyo and Sugbo Kahanas might not continue under the new leadership.

Baricuatro earlier announced that she will discontinue Suroy Suroy Sugbo and Pasigarbo sa Sugbo. She also announced plans to review provincial finances and projects in the interest of transparency.

Solar lamp post

Garcia directed LGUs to finalize MOAs with the Provincial Government for the delivery and installation of 26,000 solar street lamps — a flagship project she hopes to complete before stepping down. The MOA includes the provision of posts and pedestals.

The project aims to provide lighting to provincial and barangay roads through the installation of cost-efficient solar lamps.

Garcia said the mayors must secure resolutions from their municipal and city councils to authorize the signing of the MOAs and to formally request the solar lamps and their installation “in the soonest possible time.”

Draft MOAs will be sent to LGUs via email. Required resolutions and signed MOAs must be submitted by Monday, June 9.

The Provincial Board (PB) is scheduled to approve the governor’s authority to sign on behalf of the Province during its June 16 session.

Roads eligible for solar lamps must be paved with concrete and have a minimum width of seven meters. Priority will be given to roads concreted by the Provincial Government.

Barangay captains must submit an inventory of road sections targeted for solar lamp installation by Friday, June 6, extended to Monday.

Garcia also clarified the types of solar lamps available: 150-watt LED lamps with 180-watt polycrystalline solar panels. Posts will vary by road type — two-inch diameter for barangay roads and three- or four-inch diameter for provincial roads.

A demonstration of the solar lighting system can be seen at the Capelinha De Fatima Shrine in San Remigio and along the Transcentral Highway in Balamban.

“If the LGUs cannot comply, the delivery and installation of the solar lamps will not be completed,” Garcia said.

Financial accountability

Garcia also urged LGUs to liquidate all financial assistance received from the Provincial Government since 2019.

Mayors were also told to settle all unpaid obligations for subsidized rice purchased at P20 per kilo from the National Government by June 15.

Garcia said the original deadline was May 30 but was moved due to the transition period.

Liquidation requires that a project has been bid out, awarded and issued a notice to proceed, not necessarily completed, Garcia said. The financial aid was intended for infrastructure projects.

She also told mayors to liquidate millions of pesos in cash aid given to support her flagship Suroy Suroy Sugbo and Pasigarbo sa Sugbo programs. These must be liquidated by June 30.

Armchairs

The Department of Education and provincial authorities are coordinating the release of school armchairs, using a formula based on 10 percent of actual enrollment per school.

Garcia identified Tuburan, Medellin, Carmen, Liloan, Poro and Barili as areas with pending withdrawals. Barili has yet to respond. An inventory shows more than 2,000 chairs remain unclaimed.

Several provincial programs will be phased out by June 30, including the School Feeding and School Supplies Distribution programs, due to materials bearing Garcia’s face.

Although Sugbo Negosyo and Sugbo Kahanas were set for institutionalization, Garcia withdrew the proposed supplemental budget due to opposition from a board member.

Last May 26, tensions rose in the PB between Vice Gov.-elect Glenn Soco and outgoing PB Member John Ismael Borgonia (3rd District) over Borgonia’s criticism of the special session called on May 21 to approve the P1.2-billion Supplemental Budget 1 (SB1) endorsed by Garcia.

Garcia said the SB1 was meant to empower the legislative body to implement Sugbo Negosyo and Sugbo Kahanas. But Borgonia called the budget detrimental to the new administration. Garcia later decided not to pursue its approval.

QR-coded ticketing systems and software developed by Garcia’s outsourced IT staff for canyoneering sites in Badian and Alegria will also be suspended after June.

While these systems earn P10–15 million monthly for the Badian Municipal Government, operations will likely revert to local stakeholders, potentially affecting revenue.

Baricuatro scored an upset victory over Garcia, securing 1,107,924 votes to Garcia’s 750,102. The outgoing governor is challenging the results by filing an electoral protest before the Commission on Elections. / EHP