Cebu Governor's Transition Team Surprised by 2025 Provincial Budget

The transition team of Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro was surprised by the 2025 annual budget of the province. Jose Esgana, the former mayor of Santa Fe, Cebu, who led Baricuatro’s transition team, pointed out that the province’s P25-billion annual budget had some unusual allocations. Esgana, a Certified Public Accountant, highlighted the atypical allocation for non-office expenditures. He raised concerns about the P1.6 billion allocated for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) under capital outlay, as these are typically budgeted separately. Esgana mentioned that it is now up to Baricuatro to review the budget allocations. He stated that the new governor will need to investigate and address how this allocation occurred. The transition team decided to make their findings on the province’s 2025 annual budget public since no one from the former Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia's team engaged with them on the matter. Out of the P25 billion budget, P19 billion was allocated under the Office of the Governor, a budget that Baricuatro will inherit. The transition team was unable to determine the remaining balance of the budget.

According to the source: Manila Bulletin.