Cebu City officials are moving forward with planned purchases for the upcoming Palarong Pambansa despite allegations of corruption. This, as Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin N. Garcia expressed satisfaction with the explanations provided by Acting Vice Mayor Donaldo “Dondon” Hontiveros and members of the Palarong Pambansa 2024 organizing committee regarding the planned procurements.

The City Council investigation stemmed from allegations by broadcaster Jason Monteclar, claiming on social media that Palaro organizers, including some city councilors, allegedly bloated the budget to receive kickbacks. 

Hontiveros vehemently denied the allegations, in a report by Philippine Star, calling them “unfair” and emphasizing that the city council followed proper procedures.

He said it’s unwarranted for the city councilors to be maliciously alluded to as expecting dirty money. He clarified that the amounts Monteclar publicized were from the initial stages of budget preparation and were not the actual figures submitted for bidding.

“We scrutinized the budget list, followed the book, issued purchase requests, and then awarded contracts. However, I understand the acting mayor’s decision to conduct a review,” Hontiveros added.

[“Unfair man kaayo ni. Gi-scrutinized ni namo (budget list), nisunod mi by the book, ni advance mi’g PR (purchase request), then na award na; but kasabot mi sa gibuhat sa acting mayor nga based on the gisulti ni Jason Monteclar.”]

In response to the accusations, Garcia ordered a review of all pending bids for the Palarong Pambansa. “It’s my responsibility,” Garcia said in an interview with Kumusta Ka’Sugbo. “At the end of the day, ako raba ang mopirma sa pagbayad ani tanan [Ultimately, I’m accountable for signing off on these payments].”

Garcia clarified that the document Monteclar presented only reflected the initial proposed budget, not the final bidding figures. He added that some items, like portable toilets, had already been reduced in cost after careful evaluation. The initial proposal for portable toilets was P25 million, but this was brought down to P18 million.

“They were able to explain the many purchases that are going to be made and have already been made,” Garcia said. He urged Hontiveros and the committee to provide a similar explanation to the Cebu City Council for transparency.

Meanwhile, Garcia assured the public that the P200 million already allocated for the Palarong Pambansa would be sufficient to cover the event. “There’s no need for additional funds,” he said. “It’s a matter of prioritizing.”

The Palarong Pambansa is a national athletic competition for student athletes in the country. Cebu City is scheduled to host the games this July