EXPLAINER | Changing the Guard in ‘Vote-Rich’ Cebu

Undisputed in its rank as the most vote-rich province in the Philippines, Cebu has long been treated as a fortune teller for national elections. Politicians would go to great lengths to gain its favor, as proven by the landslide wins in campaigns of our country’s presidents, such as that of Marcos Jr. As national aspirants woo provincial votes, they just might know who to go to first—the ever-influential muse, its governor. 

Famed endorsements and the decades-old dynasty maintained by Outgoing Governor Gwendolyn “Gwen” Garcia had defined her hold over Cebu since 2004. Under the banner of One Cebu, her support was constantly sought after by national candidates aiming to garner substantial votes from the province. 

Her dominance remained largely uncontested for years, until the 2025 gubernatorial elections saw neophyte politician Pamela Silagan “Pam” Baricuatro’s victory over Garcia’s bid for a third and final term.

Based on the official and final count of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Baricuatro garnered 1,107,924 votes against Garcia’s over 765,051 votes, winning by a margin of approximately 18.30%

Baricuatro secured a decisive win in all towns and cities of Cebu's 1st District, a key area for being the most vote-rich district in the province with over 390,000 registered voters. There, she garnered 285,918 votes compared to Garcia's 98,262.

Notably, she has also won over Cebu’s 5th District and 3rd District, the second and third most vote-rich in the province, respectively. 

Garcia’s allies and relatives successfully won their own local races in these vote-rich districts, but failed to deliver the expected support for her as One Cebu’s standard-bearer. 

In a visit to Dumanjug town on May 5, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. publicly backed Garcia’s gubernatorial bid with the One Cebu party, alongside endorsing the entire Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate.

Meanwhile, Baricuatro ran under Duterte’s party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban), wherein the former president endorsed her in an indignation rally on February 22. 

Before her candidacy, Baricuatro worked briefly as the secretary general of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, the party of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. She initially planned to run for representative of Cebu’s 3rd District for the 2025 elections, however, she eventually filed for the position of governor in a Duterte-aligned bloc, substituting for deceased Cebu physician Dr. Rowena Burden, a staunch critic of Garcia.

In an interview with Rappler, University of San Carlos (USC) Political Science department faculty member Niño Olayvar said that the “antagonizing nature of Gwen’s leadership the past few years” contributed to her electoral defeat.

Garcia drew widespread criticism for her disputes with local leaders, private citizens, rights organizations, and public officials, even publicly shaming critics on social media and in press conferences.

One of her infamous public outbursts was when she dramatically pulled a microphone from a podium during the August 2023 Pasigarbo sa Sugbo, publicly accusing a provider of sabotaging the event's audio system

She was also caught in a controversial healthcare outsourcing scheme in 2019, which led to layoffs of government-employed medical staff and criticism that it compromised public health services, a point highlighted by Baricuatro.

Lawyer Edmund Lao, head of Baricuatro’s transition team, stated they formally asked outgoing Governor Garcia and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to provide all necessary documents by June 15, in preparation for Baricuatro taking office. However, the current Capitol leadership has delayed this request.

According to Baricuatro, stalling the Capitol transition process would only complicate the incoming administration's ability to smoothly take over operations and implement its programs.

Recently, Garcia filed an electoral protest with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), challenging the election results from over 4,100 clustered precincts, which are 72% of the total precincts in Cebu province.

She voiced her concerns during a post-election meeting with the town and city mayors of Cebu Province on June 3, alleging that votes intended for her were credited to her opponent.

In the plans laid out during her electoral campaign, Baricuatro acknowledged glaring challenges within Cebu Province's healthcare system and particularly looked forward to addressing the lack of doctors and medicines in Capitol-run hospitals.

Economically, she is eyeing to transform Cebu into an “investment corridor” by attracting more investors and streamlining business permits through a one-stop shop. This will involve partnerships with LGUs and coordination with private businesses to identify workforce needs as part of her vow to improve the quality of life for all Cebuanos, rather than resting on Cebu’s wealth-based reputation

For education, she seeks to expand institutions and training programs to meet job market demands, particularly in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies, and allocate more budget for training. 

She also plans to discontinue Pasigarbo sa Sugbo and Suroy Suroy Sugbo, two major tourism sector initiatives of Garcia’s administration, opting to explore less expensive ways to promote the industry.

While she has her own priority projects for the province, Baricuatro said that there are also key programs from the current administration that should be continued, such as the "Sugbo Kahanas,” an initiative on skills development, and "Sugbo Negosyo,” which focuses on the microenterprise program. 

She also aims to revive long-delayed projects like the Metro Cebu Expressway (MCE), a proposed 73.7-kilometer highway designed to ease traffic congestion in the province and supports the Mega Cebu initiative for a sustainable Cebu by 2050.

Baricuatro is set to assume the governorship on July 1, 2025.