Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella is hoping that the city’s economy will rebound this 2021. | file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella is hoping for an economic revival in 2021.
In a short outlook, the mayor said that with the arrival of the vaccines and the launching of a vaccine program soon within the new year, the economy can slowly be opened up fully and the city can begin to revive.
“We hope for economic recovery ig umaabot na ang vaccine. We hope for the businesses to reopen and employment to rise,” said the mayor in a statement released just before 2020 ended.
In his New Year’s message, the mayor acknowledged the hardships the city has gone through as it battled the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) since early 2020.
He said that the cooperation of the community was crucial in the massive drop of the cases. Cebu City ended the year with only 118 active cases out of its total 10,000 infections.
“Looking ahead is to peek into the monumental challenges that still lay before us. The future is uncertain, more so now under a pandemic. But let us not despair. This tough year has taught us that no challenge is insurmountable if we work together. Yes, there is much to be done but I am confident that we will rise to whatever challenges come our way,” said the mayor.
The fervent hope of the mayor is to see the city finally rise up from the pandemic once the vaccines arrive. The city has allotted P400 million for its purchase from the annual budget, an additional P100 million will supplement this within the next supplemental budget.
Labella earlier assured the city residents that Cebu City will be one of the priorities for the vaccine.
With the freedom the local government units (LGUs) have been given to secure one with a strict tripartite agreement with the national government, Cebu City will have a higher chance to secure the needed vaccines because it has already prepared the funds for its acquisition.
“Uban sa paglaum ug pagpasalamat, giampo ko nga ang umaabot nga tuig mahimong mauswagon alang kanatong tanan,” added the mayor.
The mayor still believes that the city can achieve the long sought zero COVID-19 case status in 2021 and he hopes that this can be achieved through cooperation of the public both for the health protocols and the soon-to-be vaccination program. /rcg