A legislator with nearly two decades experience at the Cebu City Council has won the mayoral race in the #Eleksyon2025 .
Engr. Nestor Archival, best known for walking the talk through his sustainable practices, clinched the mayoral seat with 256,197 votes that unseated incumbent Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia who garnered 176,967 votes.
According to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Cebu City has a total of 721,469 registered voters, with a turnout of a total of 609,789 voters on May 12, 2025.
Archival, an esteemed electrical engineer, and a staunch advocate of green practices and healthy living, dwells in an energy-efficient house dubbed "Archival Eco House," plants and develops his own food sources through aquaponics, harnesses solar energy to avoid relying heavily on electric power supply, among other energy-efficient practices.
In 2024, a special report done by GMA Integrated News featured Archival's zero electric bill by taking advantage of the extreme heat index experienced by the country in January 2024 to May 2024. So, it does not come as a surprise that he advocates for efficient solid waste management, renewable energy, local production of food especially in the upland barangays, such as in Sirao in Cebu City's North District where he is from, among other beneficial programs and projects.
“My beloved Cebuanos, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for entrusting me with the honor of serving as your Mayor. This win is a reflection of your faith, your voices, and your unwavering love for our city. Let us move forward as one family, united in purpose, and driven by the belief that the best of Cebu City lies ahead. Padayon ta, Sugbo! Ang atong pag-alagad, alang kaninyo kanunay. Daghang salamat gikan sa tibuok nakong kasingkasing sa inyong suporta ug pagsalig,” Archival’s message, on his official social media account, immediately after his proclamation, read.
What is there to expect under his leadership? In an interview with GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak, Archival has enumerated what to expect in his first 100 days in office:
- Revenue generation, might be no tax increases but focus on efficiency in tax collection is a must;
- Streamlining of Cebu City Hall operations, especially ease in issuance of business permits (the point is renewal must take one day only, while new permits might take one or two days;
- Completion of the Cebu City Medical Center, seen to at least solve 99 percent of health issues raised by constituents at the City Council;
- Reinvigorate scholarship program for public high school graduates in the city;
- Stable food production, as 60 percent of food in Cebu is not produced in Cebu; push food production in upland areas of the city
- Sustainable water supply;
- Efficient solid waste management;
- Completion of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in coordination with the Cebu Provincial Government; and
- Mayor of the Night program in coordination with Vice Mayor-elect Tomas Osmeña (former Cebu City mayor), a "City Hall that never sleeps" to cater to persons working in the morning who only have the nighttime to avail of Cebu City Hall services.
