Archival on first year in office: ‘A test of crisis leadership’

Local

NEARLY a year after taking office, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said his first months in City Hall felt like a test of crisis leadership.

“The experience was really pressuring,” Archival told reporters on Monday, June 1, as he reflected on his first year in office.

The challenges, the mayor said, came almost immediately.

“Nakita ninyo pagsulod nako nisugat dayon ang earthquake, bagyo, trashslide. These are challenging. And daghan pa kaayo ko gitan-aw nato about flooding, traffic, and daghan pa nga mga challenges,” he said.

Archival formally assumed office after taking his oath on June 26, 2025.

Within weeks, his administration found itself responding to successive emergencies that would come to define much of his first year at the helm of Cebu City.

Among the earliest was the declaration of a state of calamity in July 2025 following widespread flooding caused by Tropical Depression Crising.

In September, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Cebu, damaging infrastructure across parts of the province, including Cebu City.

The city was later battered by Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi), which claimed dozens of lives and displaced thousands of residents.

Then came the January 2026 tragedy at the Binaliw landfill, where a massive trash slide killed 36 workers and one rescuer, triggering a prolonged waste management crisis that forced the city to transport garbage outside Cebu City at significantly higher costs.

Beyond disasters, Archival said managing relationships and differing perspectives within government and the community has also been part of the job.

“Naa say mga tawo kinahanglan i-navigate,” he said.

Asked how he deals with criticism and pressure, the mayor said patience has become essential.

“One is patient lang ka kay if sawayon ka then masuko ka, ikaw rasad gyud pod madaot. Ma derail imo panan-aw if unsay sakto,” he said.

“So what I’m trying to do now katong mga kinahanglan buhaton, mao lay i-focus although kuwang na ang katulog.”

Despite the turbulent year, Archival said the priorities he outlined during his first 100 days in office remain largely unchanged.

At the top of the list is the completion of the long-delayed Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), which he remains optimistic will be finished by the end of the year.

“Karon taas-taas na ang development sa CCMC and hopefully optimistic ko nga mahuman gyud na siya sa iyang timeline sa December,” he said.

The mayor also pointed to the city government’s push for renewable energy.

Solar panel installations in the executive and legislative buildings at City Hall are expected to be inaugurated this week, with four more government buildings scheduled to begin similar projects this year.

“Karon tuiga we will have six buildings nga masugdan na ang solar,” he said.

He added that the initiative is intended to reduce the city’s electricity expenses.

Other projects identified by the administration include improvements to the Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP) facility, the construction of an Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) building, and the establishment of eco stations.

The city is likewise moving forward with its clean transportation program.

Archival said Cebu City has already ordered six electric vehicles and two electric buses, which he hopes will be delivered before the end of 2026.

The project is part of the agenda that the mayor has continued to pursue despite setbacks ranging from natural disasters and fiscal constraints to infrastructure and waste management concerns.

As his first year in office nears its official end on June 30, Archival said his focus remains on pushing forward with projects he believes will deliver long-term benefits for Cebu City.

For a mayor whose first year was marked by floods, an earthquake, a deadly typhoon, and a landfill tragedy, the pressure, he admits, has been constant.

But so, he said, is the need to keep moving.

“Katong mga kinahanglan buhaton, mao lay i-focus,” Archival said.(TGP)