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CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia officially slashed the budget allocated for the Palarong Pambansa 2024.
Garcia announced this during a press conference at the City Hall on Monday, June 3.
Around P143 million will be cut from the total P405 million, therefore the remaining budget will now be P262 million, which is approximately 35 percent according to a report from Cebu City’s information office.
“Maximum na gali ning P262 million kay inig abot anig purchase na gyud, naa may mo-bid og lower. Posible nga mas mo ubos pa gyud ni,” Garcia said.
The primary reason for slashing the budget was “prioritizing” and making sure that they only spend government funds on what’s needed.
ALSO READ: Raymond Garcia suspends new Palaro procurements pending review
Among the affected items for the slashing of budget was the appropriated fund for the portalets, and extension for the grandstand at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).
Garcia also cut the budget for the side events to P20 million from P60 million. He also slashed the budget for the LED to P50 million from the P135 million.
Subsequently, Garcia said that he still could not provide the specific breakdown of the budget trimming as of press time since he still needed to check how much was trimmed from the annual budget and the supplemental budget.
It was last May 27 that Garcia ordered the cancellation of current procurement activities related to the rental of portabaths and portalets with showers, which will be used for the Palarong Pambansa this July.
Garcia said in his letter addressed to the Goods and Services Bids and Awards Committee, that the portabaths and portalets requested for procurement by the Local School Board were “no longer economically, financially, or technically feasible considering the necessity of securing additional funds for the implementation of the Palarong Pambansa.”
The City Council approved a P200 million budget for the Palaro which is under the annual budget for 2024, specifically in the city-sponsored activities. Later, an additional P205 million was requested to the City Council which is now under the Supplemental Budget 1.
It was in February that Councilor Noel Wenceslao, the chairman of the committee on budget and finance said that suspended Mayor Michael Rama signed the proposal requesting approximately P205 million for the city’s hosting of the multi-sport Palarong Pambansa 2024.
The budget was reportedly intended for various purposes, including the installation of LED lights, the construction and installation of digital necessities, and the extension of the grandstand as per the proposal.