2025 Cebu City’s Charter Day

Section 1 of Republic Act 7287 declares February 24 of every year a special non-working holiday, to be known as Cebu City Charter Day, in commemoration of its foundation anniversary.

This year marks Cebu City’s 88th Charter Day celebration.

Since there will be elections this year, it may be good for Cebu City voters to reflect on how far the city has gone since its foundation, how far Cebu City elected officials have brought the residents, the communities through the years.

December 2024 data, based on the latest Annual Financial Report from the COA (Commission on Audit) showed that Cebu City’s assets in 2023 amounted to a total of P30.9 billion, making it the 10th richest city in the Philippines.

However, Cebu City ranked 13th among cities in terms of net assets or equity (the difference when liabilities are subtracted). With over P11 billion in liabilities subtracted from its total assets, Cebu City’s net assets totaled to approximately P20 billion.

Mandaue City ranked 5th wealthiest city in the country with net assets or equity of P32.7 billion and total assets of about P36 billion.

For 2024, did Cebu City fare better in terms of total and net assets? Such data is not yet available but being a center of trade/commerce/tourism, Cebu City’s total/net assets expectedly will still be high if not higher than the 2023 data?

Voters may be interested to know how these total/net assets were used/distributed?

Did these huge assets trickle down to all the residents?

Such data would be useful to evaluate the city’s governance/welfare situation and may guide voters to elect genuine public servants this May.

The following data can inform voters, for example, if Cebu City provided assets for employment of the city constituents.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed that Cebu City’s 2023 LFPR (labor force participation rate of 15 years old and over either employed or unemployed) was only 62.6 percent, lower than the 2022 LFPR of 65.4 percent.

Again, from PSA data, in 2023, second to Lapulapu City with poverty rate of 5.6 percent (or estimated 7,370 families), Cebu City followed with a poverty rate of 5.3 percent (or about 12,820 families).

In terms of population, Cebu City had a poverty incidence of 7.6 percent, approximately 75,450 individuals.

PSA data reported that in 2023, Cebu City’s subsistence incidence among families, (defined as the percentage of families with insufficient earnings to meet their basic food requirements) was 0.9 percent (roughly 2,140 families) and for population, 1.7 percent (approximately 16,810 individuals).

In order to afford basic food and non-food necessities in Cebu City in 2023, a monthly income of P15,233 was needed. A family of five in Cebu City required a monthly food threshold of P10, 291.

Annual per capita poverty threshold of families for Cebu City in 2023 was P36,559 while monthly per capita threshold of families for Cebu City was P15,233.

Finally, annual per capita food threshold and monthly needed for a family of five in Cebu City for 2023 was P24,898 and P10,374 respectively.

Perhaps the contrasting landscape observed as one passes through the SRP can show the real/present situation of Cebu City.

To the left is the open sea, vibrant/beautiful, God and nature’s gift to the city.

Across this is the polluted river near Pasil, Cebu City’s fish market and the densely crowded residence of many of the city’s poor. Beyond the sea/Pasil market and community are the hills where Cebu City’s rich live comfortably.

For this 88th Charter Day celebration, Cebu City officials, and the voters as well, may want to reflect on where they have all allowed the city to go beyond its foundation year.

With bigger 2025 bonuses allotted for those in City Hall, what can Cebu City’s poor struggling through their food/other basic necessities expect?