Archival wants to meet with Garcia

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CEBU CITY — Outgoing Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia confirmed on Monday that he received a letter from Mayor-elect Nestor Archival requesting a transition meeting.

Garcia clarified that while Archival proposed to meet within the next two weeks, no specific date has been set. The mayor also noted that Archival included his personal contact number in the letter to help coordinate the schedule.

"He said 'I will be grateful if we can set this meeting in the next two weeks. So our respective teams can perform their tasks'," Garcia said.

Garcia said he appreciated that the mayor-elect had asked for a personal meeting but said he and his team "remains busy with ongoing governance until June 30."

However, to prepare for the transition, Garcia convened his department heads earlier in the day and signed the appointment of the city's transition team, composed mostly of key officials.

He said this was in line with Memorandum Circular 2025-016 issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, which outlines the establishment of Local Governance Transition Teams (LGTTs) for all local government units.

At the city hall flag-raising ceremony held before the press briefing on Monday, Garcia called on city employees to support the upcoming leadership, stressing professionalism and continuity in public service.

"As employees, it is your moral and sacred duty to extend your utmost cooperation," he said.

Garcia also congratulated Archival for winning the elections and that he is focusing on a peaceful and productive transition.

"In the game we call life, there are winners. But there are no losers. It's either you win or you learn," he said in his address.

In his press conference, Garcia expressed hope that Archival would continue the projects initiated during his term.

These include the Cebu City Medical Center's reconstruction, school building construction, health centers and the slope protection project in upland areas such as Barangay Sirao.

He also cited the drainage master plan developed in coordination with the Japanese government, emphasizing the importance of seeing the project through given the growing threat of urban flooding.

Garcia said road right-of-way issues had already been resolved under his watch to make way for future flood control stations.

Despite the limited time remaining, Garcia said his administration will continue monitoring ongoing projects and ensuring that nothing is left unresolved when the new mayor assumes office.

He ended the briefing by assuring Cebuanos that the transition would be handled with seriousness and transparency.

"We don't want any hiccups or obstacles to occur during the transition from this administration to the next," he said.

"After all, what we are looking for is the best interest of the city of Cebu. And that our Cebuanos are served properly," Garcia added.