Philippine flags are seen outside the City Hall on June 4. CDN Digital photo by Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City is preparing for the celebration of the 126th Independence Day this year with a much lesser budget compared to last year.
From the original budget of P11 million, the Independence Day celebration in Cebu City is now budgeted at P3 million.
Acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said that rest assured the activities during the event would be “very much” related to the Independence Day.
“What I have cut are the activities that are not so significant on Independence Day,” Garcia said.
Among the activities that the residents of Cebu City can expect during the event are the opening parade, Kalayaan Concert for the Youth, and Flag Day which took place last May 28.
Garcia said that they cut the budget for the Testimonial Dinner, Santacruzan, and Barangayan. However, he was unable to specify the specific amount of the budget that was trimmed down from each activity.
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To recall, during the Independence Day celebration last year, the city government was criticized for the P10.597 million budget allocation.
However, suspended City Administrator and Lawyer Collin Rosell said in a press conference last June 8, 2023 that it was not a waste of money.
“What is reality is Independence Day is not money but it is the day where our ancestors gave their lives. They gave their lives for this to remember them [heroes], also as a way for giving their lives so that we can be free and that we can be useful people,” Rosell said in Cebuano.
Councilor Nestor Archival was one of those who expressed his sentiments regarding the budget.
“Pwerte gyung dakoa. Gabaan siguro ta ani. Daghan kayng tawo nga wala’y kaon,” Archival told his colleagues during the session last May 24, 2023.
(It’s a big amount of money. We can get karma from this. There are many people who have nothing to eat. )