Archival vows to streamline CH, solve flooding and traffic

CEBU, Philippines — As he vies for the highest post in the Cebu City Government, Councilor Nestor Archival Sr. outlines sustainable development programs and vows not to change “qualified” executive heads, regardless of political affiliations, to ensure streamlined City Hall operations.

In his recent guesting over The Freeman’s special election segment, “Know Your Candidate,” Archival shared that it is his love for Cebu City that pushed him to run for mayor.

According to him, the city needs a leader who is “God-fearing, proactive, honest, and transparent” to

address the challenges it faces.

Derived from this belief, Archival outlined the platforms he will carry with him if he wins the mayoral post.

Among them is raising the city’s revenue generation, as well as streamlining City Hall services. To support this, he added that there must be sustainable programs for power, water, and food production, infrastructure for internet connections, greening, and climate change mitigation.

Aside from these, Archival also envisions solving the city’s perennial problems with flooding, traffic, and garbage.

On streamlining government processes

On streamlining City Hall processes, Archival said that these issues stem from complaints that reached his office, where some individuals had to wait several months to get a business permit. To address this concern, he proposed that the renewal of business permits should take no longer than three months.

He said that as the council’s current minority floor leader, they have been calling the attention of the executive department on this matter, stressing that “nothing has happened.” According to him, this is also due to changing administrations, which result in different policies.

“Sa akong pagtan-aw wala ta’y standard,” said Archival, adding that the policies being implemented vary from one employee to another, resulting in delays in the processes.

He assessed that the current City Hall operations are driven by different standards.

“Lain-lain nga tawo nga muabot, lain-lain nga interpretation sa standards,” he added.

He then emphasized the need for concrete qualifications in each department. Citing specifics, Archival said that the Office of the Building Official (OBO) should be manned by engineers, and the Department of General Services (DGS) should be led by an expert in the field.

Currently, Archival said this is not the case for City Hall departments. While the Civil Service Commission has specific qualifications for hiring public employees, Archival noted that political alliances play a role in appointing department heads, many of whom are not experts in their assigned areas.

“Then ang naka in-charge na dira di kamao,” said Archival.

According to him, if he wins as mayor, department heads will be assigned based on expertise, not political affiliations.

He highlighted that there should be “synergy” between the local chief executive and department heads to streamline city operations.

In line with this, Archival assured that as long as the current department heads demonstrate expertise and are qualified in their respective fields, they will stay in their positions, regardless of political affiliations.

For revenue generation, Archival said it does not involve increasing taxes but rather improving collection efficiency. Currently, he assessed that the city has a 70 percent collection efficiency, which translates to P9 billion in revenue.

If collection efficiency reaches at least 90 percent, he said the city can generate an additional P2 to P3 billion. He further explained that some taxable areas are currently overlooked, such as machinery like air conditioning units and elevators inside buildings, which should be included in the Real Property Tax (RPT) declarations.

“Some of those or many of those are not included,” said Archival.

The current administration, according to Archival, did not include the market assessment of these machines, hence their exclusion from tax declarations. As a legislator, he admitted that the body did not recognize this even during the deliberation of the annual budget.

“We don’t know about it before. There is no report, and they cannot see that,” said Archival.

Archival vows to solve flooding, traffic

When asked if he will be the mayor who can finally solve the city’s perennial flooding problem, which has persisted through multiple administrations, Archival answered with a definite “yes.”

He laid out short-term solutions such as declogging and desilting rivers, as well as implementing the existing policy to establish rainwater catchments.

According to him, not all buildings in the city comply with the mandate to create rainwater catchments.

The long-term solution, he said, is a Comprehensive Drainage Master Plan.

Archival, who is an engineer, added that the city is capable of building this with a P1.2 billion budget that has already been appropriated. He mentioned that P200 million of this budget has already been allocated and paid to a contractor, but no progress has been seen.

“Kung imong tan-awon, daghan kaayo tag kwarta, ato lang gipanglabay, so if we are going to make that money and use it efficiently, I understand that we can do it in our own capacity,” said Archival, who is known for his sustainable environmental efforts, including in his own sustainable, self-sufficient Eco home.

He acknowledged that the city's flooding problem is also caused by tributaries from neighboring towns that cascade down to the city streets and vice versa. With this, he said the approach will be holistic and done in collaboration with other towns.

Archival also assessed that the diminishing presence of trees in upland areas contributes to the flooding. Among his long-term solutions are tree planting and nurturing programs, as well as the establishment of rainwater catchments and gabion dams, which he has already formalized through an ordinance.

For traffic, Archival advocates for the completion of the disputed Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT), which he stressed may not completely solve the city’s traffic problem but will at least “lessen” it.

He also said more parking areas need to be built. He cited that most establishments in key areas of the city do not have designated parking spaces, forcing customers to park on the roadside, which contributes to traffic congestion.

He also highlighted the need to implement laws prohibiting roadside parking, particularly during rush hours. He admitted that the city’s roads are already narrow, making the CBRT a crucial solution.

According to him, the CBRT will eliminate the need for cars and instead encourage people to use the mass transit system. He added that this idea is supported by a feasibility study that led the World Bank to fund the project.

He further stated that the public just needs to familiarize themselves with and adapt to the effectiveness of the CBRT once completed.

“We have that money already (World Bank loan), unsa may atong buhaton sa kwarta, i-uli? Let’s push for it (CBRT), tan-awon nato. I am sure it will get better,” said Archival.

Archival: “being a mayor..."

Archival highlighted that being a mayor does not “actually mean playing with politics” or being entitled to bodyguards while moving around the city. He added that being a mayor is not about pushing for budget appropriations for rice distribution and dole-outs.

“What is important for a mayor is to create a sustainable program that will not only benefit us now but also future generations,” said Archival.

“I think it is very important to choose someone who focuses on sustainable programs rather than those that only address current needs,” he concluded.

Archival filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for the 2025 polls last October as the standard bearer for the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) and is running alongside former mayor Tomas Osmeña as vice mayor. — (FREEMAN)