Archival defends WPS event absence, says Manila trip secured Cebu funds

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival defended his absence from the city’s commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the landmark West Philippine Sea arbitral ruling, saying official meetings in Manila allowed him to pursue funding and partnerships that would deliver long-term benefits to Cebuanos.

Archival issued the statement hours after Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña criticized him for skipping the ceremony and accused him of “playing it safe” on the West Philippine Sea issue amid China’s diplomatic protest against Cebu City’s observance of “West Philippine Sea Victory Day.”

Instead of directly addressing Osmeña’s criticism, Archival said his trip to the capital focused on advancing programs that would benefit Cebu City.

“While I was in Manila today, I attended two important meetings that are directly connected to programs and opportunities for Cebu City,” the mayor said.

READ: Osmeña says Archival is ‘playing it safe’ on West Philippine Sea issue

According to Archival, he met with officials of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines to strengthen the city’s partnership in youth development.

He also met with Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Kim de Leon to follow up on Cebu City’s request for the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), which he said would help finance priority infrastructure projects.

“I also had a productive meeting with DBM Secretary Kim de Leon to follow up on our request for the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), which will help finance priority infrastructure projects and bring lasting benefits to the people of Cebu City,” he said.

Archival maintained that public service should not be measured solely by attendance at public events.

READ: Chinese consul warns Cebu’s WPS stand may hurt China ties

“Public service is not measured by being present in one event alone, but by ensuring that every opportunity to secure programs, partnerships, and resources for our city is pursued,” he said.

“My commitment remains the same: to work tirelessly and always put the interests of Cebu City first,” he added.

Comes after mounting criticism

Archival released the statement as controversy over Cebu City’s observance of “West Philippine Sea Victory Day” intensified.

On Monday, Chinese Consul General Zhang Zhe warned that the city’s decision to commemorate the 2016 arbitral ruling could strain Cebu’s long-standing relationship with China, saying local officials must choose between “friendship” and “confrontation.”

The warning came hours after Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro joined Cebu City officials during the anniversary program at City Hall and commended the city government for standing firm despite Beijing’s diplomatic protest.

READ: Why the West Philippine Sea ruling still matters

The same day, Osmeña questioned Archival’s absence and criticized what he described as the mayor’s cautious handling of the dispute.

“I’m very proud of the City Council. Unfortunately, our mayor is playing it safe. Doesn’t like to be here. Doesn’t like to be identified. I’m not that kind. I take a stand,” Osmeña said.

“We have to protect our own, and we have to be very careful that opportunities are not exploited to take advantage of our tolerance. So I’m not tolerating anything,” he added.

Earlier response

Before issuing Tuesday’s statement, Archival had declined to comment directly on the Chinese Consulate’s diplomatic protest, saying he first wanted to review the documents forwarded to his office.

“Sa pagkakaron, akong buhaton atong tan-awon unsa ning mga documents nga niabot sa office, and I will look into that,” Archival told reporters earlier.

(For now, I will review the documents that have reached my office and look into them.)

He also said he wanted to study the City Council resolution before taking a position.

“At the moment, I cannot comment on that until makita nako unsa gyud ang meat sa resolution (I see the substance of the resolution),” he said.

Despite withholding comment on China’s protest, the mayor said he wanted Cebu City to maintain cordial relations.

“But ang ako lang, we’d like to maintain a good relation with everybody (For me, we’d like to maintain good relations with everybody),” he said.

Diplomatic dispute

The controversy stemmed from the Chinese Consulate General in Cebu’s formal protest against a City Council resolution authored by Councilor Paul Labra declaring July 12 as “West Philippine Sea Victory Day.”

The resolution marks the 10th anniversary of the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which invalidated China’s expansive “nine-dash line” claim and affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The measure also urges Congress to institutionalize July 12 as a nationwide observance.

China continues to reject the arbitral award, calling it “illegal, null and void,” a position the Philippine government, maritime law experts, and several national officials have repeatedly rejected, maintaining that the 2016 ruling remains final and legally binding under international law.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

Read Next

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.