With the resounding mandate of more than 1M votes, the Cebuanos elected Governor Pamela Baricuatro as the new leader of the premier province of the Philippines.
She dethroned the erstwhile 5 termerΒ ex-Governor Gwen Garcia who despite the machinery and government resources of the latter was no match to the “People’s Governor” who initially relied on just a core group of six (6) which Baricuatro recently revealed during her podcast interview with restaurateur Bunny Pages.
To call her victory then as an upset against Garcia is an understatement because a group of six (seven including her husband Dr. Brian To who acted as consultant) was theoretically no match to the 50 Cebu mayors who were with Garcia.
Of the 51 local government units (LGU’s) in Cebu Province, Baricuatro only had one Cebu Mayor on her side, Danao City Mayor Ramon “Nito” Durano lll, so it was not just an upset it was actually an uprising, a revolt of the majority of the people, rejecting Garcia because they were not anymore contented with her governance (the ex-Governor however has a pending electoral protest against Baricuatro lodged with the Comelec).
The game changer or as Pages has put it, the “tilting point” happened when former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was arrested and brought to the International Criminal Court (ICC)Β last March 11 which totally changed the picture then of the campaign as Baricuatro physically showed her support and sympathy to the ex-President by leading a mass and prayer vigil.
It can not be denied, the Cebuanos believed FPRRD that all his DUTER10 senatorial candidates fared well in Cebu and add to that their discontent to the former capitol occupant, the result was irreversible as the support of Baricuatro to the former president turned into votes for her.
Winning against Garcia though is one thing, how to make into fruition the campaign spiels of Baricuatro is another especially so since she boldly declared to have a “clean and corrupt free governorship.”
“No S.O.P. No Corruption. No Excusesβ¦dili ko mo-tolerate og kurakot. Period,” she told the Cebu business community during the opening salvo of the recent Cebu Business Month celebration.
Leading Cebu is complex. It is not just about headline grabbing sweetly coated rhetorics, it needs a concrete program that will redound to the welfare of each and every Cebuano because clearly, they view the new Cebu Governor as their fresh hope.
With ubiquitous poverty problem, turning it around and making their lives better is paramount. Baricuatro had a litany of election promises, improved health care, livelihood,food security, ease of doing business, atbp.
She revealed to Pages the conduct of a weekly “People’s day” every Wednesday but beyond meeting the people, providing them with adequate social services and implement programs that is beneficial to all, that is crux of the matter. Baricuatro should not therefore fail the Cebuanos otherwise, she will bear the brunt of not having their support come 2028./
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