How a neophyte governor held Cebu together

CEBU, Philippines — Everyone knows the feeling of being new in a place—still learning where the switches are, still finding your footing—when suddenly everything starts shaking.

For Governor Pamela Baricuatro, that disorienting moment came not metaphorically, but literally.

Barely three months into her first term as governor of Cebu, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake tore through the province’s northern towns. Weeks later, Typhoon Tino followed, flooding communities, crippling infrastructure, and displacing nearly half a million people.

What should have been a transition year—typically reserved for setting priorities and building momentum—became instead a fight for survival.

For an inexperienced governor, the back-to-back disasters turned 2025 into an unforgiving test of leadership, demanding decisions before routines were formed and resolve before systems were fully in place.

“It was a baptism by fire,” Baricuatro said.

A province under siege

At 9:59 p.m. on September 30, 2025, residents across Cebu were jolted awake as a powerful earthquake struck offshore near Bogo City. Thousands fled into the streets as buildings cracked and power lines swayed.

The quake left 72 people dead and hundreds injured. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, more than 748,000 Cebuanos were affected. Northern Cebu bore the brunt of the destruction: roads split open, bridges weakened, ports damaged, and public buildings—schools and hospitals included—sustained structural scars still under assessment.

In Cebu’s Fourth District alone, initial damage estimates reached nearly ?3 billion, excluding losses to critical social infrastructure. Coastal communities suffered additional blows as the aquaculture sector recorded an estimated ?9.3 million in losses, cutting off livelihoods for families already living on the margins.

Before recovery could gain traction, Typhoon Tino swept across Cebu on November 4.

If the earthquake shattered communities, the typhoon submerged them. Floodwaters swallowed entire towns, displacing close to half a million residents. According to the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CPDRRMC), Tino claimed 96 lives, with several others reported missing—making it deadlier than the quake.

Evacuation centers overflowed. Families spent weeks without adequate food, clean water, or sanitation. Even hospitals were not spared, as floodwaters destroyed medical supplies, cut power and communication lines, and left some facilities barely functional.

Leadership under pressure

When Baricuatro assumed office, Cebu’s disaster response system was fragile. The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) had only three personnel and limited operational capacity—an alarming reality exposed at the worst possible time.

“Preparedness is not optional. It is a shared responsibility that must be built before disaster strikes,” Baricuatro told The Freeman.

Within months, the PDRRMO was reorganized and expanded to more than 30 personnel. Resources were increased, coordination with local government units strengthened, and ties with national agencies reinforced. Still, the governor was careful not to oversell rapid reforms.

Preparedness, she emphasized, is institutional work—built deliberately, step by step, long before calamities arrive.

As recovery continues, Baricuatro has repeatedly urged the public not to forget families still displaced and grieving. Drawing strength from a homily she carried through the crises, she reflected: “It’s not the desert, it’s what you do in the desert.”

“Lain-lain karon og situation ang naa sa Sugbo,” she said, acknowledging the varied struggles of Cebuanos who lost homes, property, and loved ones—while encouraging them to keep moving forward.

Recovery, one day at a time

Months after the twin disasters, relief operations remain ongoing in communities where families have yet to resettle. The provincial government continues to provide hot meals in evacuation centers, while longer-term solutions are being pursued.

Baricuatro said her administration has been working closely with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to identify relocation sites for families whose homes were destroyed. She also welcomed support from private individuals and organizations willing to help rebuild lives.

The response, she noted, has been sustained by collaboration—between national agencies, local governments, first responders, volunteers, and affected communities themselves.

“Take it a day at a time,” Baricuatro said. “Everybody is tightening the belt.”

The neophyte tested

For a first-time elected official, the steep learning curve was daunting but not unfamiliar. Baricuatro came into office from a background in non-government organizations and years in the airline industry—fields where service and crisis management were already part of daily life. She credits a strong spiritual foundation for keeping her grounded amid the pressure.

Her election itself was historic. In the May 12, 2025 gubernatorial race, Baricuatro scored a stunning victory over incumbent Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, ending the Garcia clan’s long political dominance in Cebu. Running under Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), she garnered 1,107,924 votes to Garcia’s 765,051, winning in 29 of Cebu’s 51 cities and municipalities.

The biggest adjustment, Baricuatro admitted, was time.

“My time is not my own anymore,” she said.

Government work, she learned quickly, demands flexibility—especially when earthquakes and typhoons can rewrite plans overnight.

Those hard lessons have reshaped her priorities for 2026. Disaster preparedness now stands alongside healthcare and environmental protection as a top concern, with an emphasis on acting early rather than reacting late.

Baricuatro insists her leadership remains rooted in listening and collaboration—but sharpened by urgency.

“In 2026, Cebuanos can expect faster decision-making, stronger systems, and a government that acts early rather than reacts late,” she said. “I am more determined than ever to ensure that when challenges come—and they will—Cebu is ready and united.”— (FREEMAN)