Both Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro and Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival have issued separate directives to conserve fuel and limit the use of government vehicles for essential services only.
“All city departments are directed to strictly manage fuel consumption. Government vehicles must be used efficiently and only for essential services. We must protect public funds to ensure uninterrupted delivery of services to our people,” said Archival in a message posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday.
Baricuatro, on the other hand, issued Executive Order No. 15, directing all Capitol offices to implement fuel-saving measures, including reducing unnecessary travel, to ensure responsible consumption and preparedness in anticipation of a possible fuel crisis.
The governor also ordered all departments to submit their respective fuel conservation plans as part of a coordinated provincial response.
Exempted from the EO were emergency and essential services, including ambulances, disaster response operations, and emergency social services, to ensure uninterrupted delivery of critical assistance to the public.
High cost of garbage disposal
In his message posted on Facebook, Archival said the ongoing tension in the Gulf region might lead to higher prices of fuel which would impact cost of transportation, prices of food, and other basic commodities.
In the case of the city government, he said the city government was anticipating an increase in waste management expenses especially that residual wastes were being disposed in a facility in Aloguinsan town, about 61 km away from Cebu City, following the closure of a privately-ran landfill which collapsed last Jan. 8.
Archival said Cebu City currently allocated around P500 million annually for garbage disposal.
With the transfer of residual waste disposal operations to Aloguinsan, hauling and fuel expenses could go up to P1 billion annual or at most P2 billion, depending on the prices of fuel.
“This is a serious financial responsibility,” said Archival.
He urged Cebuanos to practice proper waste management to mitigate cost. These include waste segregation, composting biodegradable materials, and recycling to reduce residual waste sent to landfills.
“Let us also conserve electricity and water,” the mayor asked, saying saving energy and water not only lower bills but also strengthened the city’s overall resilience.
“This is a call for discipline, preparedness, and unity. Cebu City remains stable, proactive, and ready. Let us work together to protect our resources and secure our future,” Archival said.
Fuel conservation
In her executive order, Baricuatro directed all provincial government departments, provincial board offices, component cities, and municipalities to immediately implement fuel-saving measures such as reducing unnecessary travel and field activities, consolidation of official trips where practical, adoption of virtual meetings whenever feasible; strict monitoring of fuel consumption; and optimization of vehicle deployment and routing.
The fuel conservation measures listed in the EO, however, would not apply to emergency and essential services, such as ambulances and medical emergency transport; disaster risk reduction and response operations; emergency social welfare services; law enforcement and public safety operations; and other critical services as may be determined by the governor.
To ensure steady food supply, the provincial agriculturist was directed to develop short-term food sufficiency action plan as well as to activate local procurement mechanism with preference for Cebu-based producers and cooordinate with city and municipal agriculture offices to ensure that adequate buffer stocks of staple food items are maintained.
“When necessary, the provincial agriculturist should recommend subsidy mechanisms to help alleviate the burden on farmers and maintain stable agricultural production,” according to the EO.
To safeguard consumers and ensure market stability, the EO mandates strict monitoring of the prices of fuel, rice, flour, sugar, and other basic commodities; and to act swiftly on reports of hoarding, profiteering, and price manipulation.
Report cases of overpricing
Baricuatro urged the public to report cases of overpricing to their mayors or directly to the Capitol through the Cebu People’s Action Center hotline.
The Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), in coordination with the Economic Enterprise Council (EEC), was tasked to lead a province-wide resilience strategy to mitigate economic disruption and sustain investor confidence.
The PPDO was directed to assess potential impacts on infrastructure, public-private partnership (PPP) projects, tourism, and logistics and undertake a technical review of provincial fuel supply chains, transport dependencies, and consumption patterns to determine vulnerability exposure and recommend mitigation measures.
The PPDO was also mandated to prioritize and ensure continuity of critical infrastructure, essential utilities, health facilities, food supply chains, and ongoing flagship projects of the province.
OFW assistance center
The EO also mandated the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) and the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) to prepare contingency measures for possible returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
These measures include establishing a Provincial OFW Assistance and Repatriation Desk in coordination with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA); creating a registry of Cebuano OFWs in affected Middle Eastern countries; facilitating emergency financial, psychosocial, and temporary shelter assistance; and developing livelihood and reintegration programs in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and local employers.
Assistance systems are being readied should repatriation become necessary, the governor said.
— Edited by Daxim L. Lucas
Contributor
