While Mayor Vico Sotto expressed appreciation for the positive posts on social media about Pasig City’s supposed P3 billion “surplus,” he clarified that the claim is inaccurate and stressed that government savings should not be seen as an accomplishment.

“The P3B ‘surplus’ posts are not accurate… I appreciate the posts and all of the kind words, but let's clarify... At kunin na rin natin ang pagkakataon para pag-usapan ang topic na 'to (and also take this opportunity to talk about this topic),” he said.

“Government ‘surplus’ or ‘savings’ is not an accomplishment. Hindi dapat nag-iimbak ng pera ang gobyerno, dapat nilalabas ito para tulungan ang mga tao at para palaguin ang ekonomiya (The government should not be stockpiling money; it should be spending it to help people and to grow the economy),” he continued.

Sotto acknowledged that the city has had significant savings, but emphasized the importance of understanding the reasons behind it.

He said the city was able to save significantly due to its fight against corruption, particularly through procurement reforms.

“To keep it short, the main reason is that because of true open bidding and no kickbacks, prices go down. What was previously P100M can now be done for 80 or even lower,” Sotto explained.

Another reason he cited was that the city’s “absorptive capacity” has not yet fully kept up with the sudden increase in its budget.

The mayor explained that absorptive capacity refers to the ability or limit of a local government unit to properly utilize its funds.

“Our annual budget doubled in 5 years from around 10B to 20B. Our expenditures (social services, other services, salaries, and infra) have also almost doubled, but not quite (very rough estimate from 9B to 16B),” he said.

Long-term reforms in planning, procurement, and implementation were also cited by Sotto as another factor. Although these reforms were difficult to implement, he said they ensure that public funds will be used properly in the years ahead.

The local chief stressed, “Nagtatanim tayo nang maayos ngayon para mas gumanda pa ang aanihin natin bukas (We are planting good foundations today so that we can harvest better results in the future).”

Meanwhile, Sotto acknowledged the previous administration for leaving no debt and even a reported P15 billion cash-in-bank when he assumed office in 2019.

However, he said the amount was “misleading” because it was mostly composed of continuing appropriations, accounts payable, and savings from unfilled plantilla positions.

“But still, we give credit where credit is due,” he said.