Before its own specially created expert panel had the chance to deliver a single finding, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Dumaguete voted to lock in a ₱2.185-billion debt package — raising procedural concerns from three of its own members who said the council bypassed the very review process it had set in motion just weeks prior.
The measure, identified as CDC Full Council Resolution No. 2026-43, was passed on both second and third and final reading on July 7, according to the session record. The vote stood at nine councilors in favor and three against. While the dissenting members made clear they were not opposed to either infrastructure project, they placed on record their objection to proceeding before the independent evaluation commissioned by the council had been completed.
What the Borrowing Package Covers
The approved addendum to Dumaguete City’s 2026 Annual Investment Program (AIP) covers two design-and-build infrastructure projects to be funded through proposed local government borrowing. The larger of the two is a new four-story Dumaguete City Public Market, to be built on a city-owned property in Barangay Poblacion 3 at a proposed cost of ₱1.948 billion. The second project is a two-story City Hall Extension Building with a dedicated parking facility, also on city-owned land, this time in Barangay Poblacion 4, at a proposed cost of ₱237 million. The resolution was referred to the Committee on Finance following its passage, the session record shows.
A Process the Council Had Set for Itself
The July 7 final vote effectively short-circuited a sequence of review the council had itself established in the preceding weeks. As the AIP addendum advanced through earlier readings, Councilor Jose Victor V. Imbo — who chairs the Committee on Finance — had sponsored a separate June resolution calling for the creation of an independent committee to scrutinize the feasibility and financial prudence of both projects before the city formally committed to taking on the debt.
The intent of that June resolution appeared to be subjecting the proposed borrowing to rigorous outside expert scrutiny. Yet when July 7 arrived, Councilor Imbo himself moved for approval on both readings of the AIP addendum — before the independent body had submitted its report to the mayor and council, as it had been mandated to do.
Who Was on the Independent Review Body
Under the terms of the June resolution, the independent committee was to consist of four members: lawyer Golda S. Benjamin; engineer Richard U. Lao, who serves as president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) Negros Oriental Chapter; and two Cebu-based auditing firms — Reyes Tacandong & Co. and SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co.).
According to the June resolution’s provisions, the committee’s mandate was comprehensive. It was charged with reviewing the assumptions, methodology, and conclusions of the feasibility study prepared by the city; assessing the technical, financial, economic, social, environmental, and operational viability of both projects; and evaluating how the proposed borrowing would affect the city’s debt capacity and long-term fiscal health. The body was to serve in an advisory capacity, submitting a written report to guide the mayor and council on whether to proceed with the projects.
Three Councilors Put Objections on Record
Despite the 9–3 majority, the dissenting councilors each articulated why they voted against the resolution — and each was careful to distinguish process concerns from opposition to the projects themselves.
Councilor Renz Macion said he would maintain his objection until the feasibility study he had requested was formally made “part and parcel” of the AIP addendum. He argued that making complete information available would actually help accelerate the projects rather than stall them.
Councilor Rey Lyndon T. Lawas said the council still did not have the documents it needed to “carefully, diligently study and weigh all things.” He stated he was “one with the administration” in wanting a new public market for Dumaguete but held that a thorough review had to be finished first.
Councilor Franklin D. Esmeña Jr. aligned himself with the same position, stressing that his negative vote should not be read as opposition to the developments in principle.
Full Voting Record
In favor (9): Jose Victor V. Imbo, Jason Patrick T. Lagahit, Melissa L. Sagarbarria, Maria Marife L. Cordova, Woodtamm C. Maquiling, Bernice Anne A. Elmaco, Antonio J. Remollo, Jovencio C. Tan Jr., and Miguel Lorenzo N. Aseniero.
Against (3): Renz Macion, Rey Lyndon T. Lawas, and Franklin D. Esmeña Jr.
With final reading passed, session records confirm that both the public market and City Hall extension projects have been formally incorporated into Dumaguete City’s 2026 Annual Investment Program. The next steps will be governed by the regulatory requirements applicable to local government borrowing.
By the Numbers
- ₱2.185 billion — total value of the proposed borrowing package covering both projects
- ₱1.948 billion — proposed cost of the new four-story Dumaguete City Public Market in Barangay Poblacion 3
- ₱237 million — proposed cost of the two-story City Hall Extension Building with parking in Barangay Poblacion 4
- 9–3 — final vote tally on CDC Full Council Resolution No. 2026-43
- 4 — number of members designated to sit on the independent review committee under the June resolution
Why This Matters
Dumaguete City is now formally committed to pursuing a multi-billion-peso debt obligation even though the independent expert body — comprising a lawyer, a civil engineer, and two established national auditing firms — had not yet completed the feasibility review it was specifically tasked to carry out. Three sitting councilors placed on the session record that the body moved forward without the documentation they considered necessary for a fully informed decision. The projects will now proceed through the regulatory process governing local government borrowing, meaning further scrutiny may come at that stage rather than from the council’s own expert panel.
Source: Breaking News Negros Oriental
