With Soco as her runningmate: Gwen seeks last term

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has filed her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) yesterday, the last day of filing, before the Office of the Provincial Election Supervisor (OPES), marking her official bid for her sixth term as governor of the Province of Cebu.

Cebu 6th district Provincial Board (PB) Member Glenn Soco is her runningmate, for the second time.

Soco was supposed to run as Mandaue City Lone District PB member but opted to run for the second highest post of the province at the last minute with Garcia, under the One Cebu party.

“To me I felt that the governor needs to have a vice gubernatorial candidate which has supported her programs all throughout,” he said.

Soco said that he and Garcia can work together, stating that they have started projects already which made “unprecedented progress” in the entire province of Cebu.

He said he will continue to fully support Garcia’s programs and activities if elected as her vice governor.

Yesterday, Garcia was accompanied by her family, PB members, mayors, and other Cebu Province officials as she filed her COC.

The governor said she has no national party but reiterated that they will continue to support the administration of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.,

"As far as One Cebu know, we have not wavered in our support,” Garcia told members of the press.

Garcia said she has " unfinished business " in the province that she needs to settle once given another term of service.

Among these "unfinished" projects is her plan to transfer the provincial seat of power from Cebu City to Balamban town in Midwest Cebu.

A P550-million budget was already allocated for the site acquisition and development of the Cebu Provincial Government center in the said town.

Garcia is also planning to develop Camp Lapu-Lapu in Brgy. Apas, Cebu City and other Capitol-owned lots in the city for the Province to earn additional revenue to add to its coffers.

Another matter that Garcia want to settle is the still-unresolved decade-long issue about the Provincial Ordinance 93-1 lots.

“I would like also to give, although di man ni sila kabotar nako, apan matagaan sila og final nga kasiguroan kaning mga nagpuyo sa 93-1 nga lots, nga unta, inabagan sa Pagibig (Home Development Mutual Fund), makaangkon na gyod sila sa ilang luna,” Garcia said.

The Capitol continues to negotiate with the occupants of the 93-1 lots, as the Capitol is selling these properties to the occupants at a fair market value though Pag-IBIG.

The governor said her pro-poor programs and other initiatives, like Sugbo Negosyo and Sugbo Kahanas, among others, will be continued on her last term.

“Magpadayon sab kog hunahuna unsaon pa nako, unsa pa may akong mahimo nga mapaangat (ang Sugbo),” Garcia said.

Garcia will be running against 67-year-old Valeriano Gingco, a former seaman who filed as an independent candidate on October 4, and Cebuana philanthropist and entrepreneur Pamela Baricuatro, who also filed her COC yesterday under Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP).

Baricuatro was accompanied by suspended Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama when she submitted her COC before the OPES. She had no runningmate for vice governor.

Baricuatro is the founder and executive director of Simply Share Foundation, Inc. and created the Cebu Foodbank in 2023, the first Global Foodbanking Network-accredited foodbank in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Yesterday, though, she begged off to give further details on her candidacy, saying her camp will have a press conference soon.

Vice Governor Davide

Meanwhile, Cebu Vice Governor Hilario Davide III has also filed his COC yesterday, but not to seek reelection.

Davide decided to run as an independent candidate for congressman in the second district.

"I was governor already. I am vice governor now. I thought, I'd like to serve my district gyud, the seven towns. And I prefer a smaller constituency this time," Davide said.

The vice governor revealed that the governor asked him to be her running-mate in next year’s elections, but his mind is already set to serve solely the people of the seventh district, hopefully this time.

He would count among his political opponent former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office consultant Maria Fema Duterte, who filed her COC also for the 7th district congressional seat.  Duterte is also a former Nayong Pilipino executive director and a former Pasig River Coordinating and Management Office deputy executive director.

Davide said he was thankful for Garcia in trusting him but he begged off to run as vice governor as he has already made up his mind to run in Congress.

He said he explained to Garcia his reasons and that the governor understood.

“I told her nga I hope she’d understand nga I already made up my mind to run for representative sa among distrito. But, really, it was so kind of her to ask me to run with her,” Davide told reporters during his filing of his COC.

Davide was Cebu’s governor for two terms—from 2013 to 2016. In 2019 elections, he opted to run as vice governor, when partnered with then vice governor Agnes Magpale who ran for governor against Garcia.

Garcia defeated Magpale, marking her comeback at the Capitol, while Davide won against Garcia's runningmate Daphne Salimbangon.

In 2022, both Garcia and Davide sought reelection under separate political parties and won. Davide was the running-mate of former tourism secretary Ace Durano while Dr. Maria Theresa "Doc Tess" Heyrosa was Garcia's vice governor.

For the 2025 elections, Garcia went again with Soco as her group’s candidate for vice governor after Davide declined.

Soco and Garcia first paired for the 2010 elections under One Cebu, but the former lost to the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez, Jr.

In 2013, he tried for the same post as an independent candidate but failed. He later on got elected as a PB member.

On the other hand, former Department of Interior and Local Government undersecretary Joselito Ruiz also filed yesterday his COC as an independent candidate for Cebu province.

He said that if elected as the vice governor of the province, he will work with whoever the governor will be in 2025.

“Kung unsa iyang ganahan, atong tumanon. Atong ipasa sa Sanggunian tabangan nato og lobby nga way mubabag. Ang katong mubabag, hiluton nato para maayo ug hapsay ang dagan sa gobyerno,” he said.

Ruiz promised to be a “governor’s teammate,” saying he will never go against the top executive of the province.

In the 3rd district, Rep. Pablo John Garcia, who was the first to file his COC in the entire province to seek another term, withdrew his candidacy and replaced himself with his wife, Karen, for the position.

“This extraordinary unity we have in third district, six towns and one city have given me this opportunity to maybe I do not need to fight it out this time and I can pursue two projects that I have put off for a long, long time because of work,” the congressman explained.

Pablo John said that all of the mayors in the third district unanimously agreed with the substitution.

He said he will pursue higher studies in law and public administration abroad.

Additionally, he also planned to write book on Cebu political history.

“This is a unique opportunity for me. If I write a book then maybe I can contribute

something to Cebu that is outside of my public service. And my further studies in law and public administration would equip me with more knowledge and more skills which may be of use in the future, if there is a need for me to go back to public service,” he told reporters yesterday.

Pablo John said it was not an easy decision for him since he love the job as congressman but he said that by consulting the mayors he realized that if there is a need for him to take a break it should be this time.

He said that with his wife’s point-of-view as woman and a mother, she can bring fresh perspective to socio-economic programs to benefit the district.

“Trust me she will be better Congressman than I am,” he said.

Karen is unopposed.

In the 5th district, Rep. Duke Frasco also filed his COC, seeking reelection. He was accompanied by his wife, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, along with the mayors of the fifth district.

Meanwhile, the Sulbong Toledo slate, led by incumbent Councilor and mayoralty candidate Ceasar Ian Zambo and running-mate Arlene “Dydee Espinosa-Zambo, also filed their COCs yesterday.

“We have the right mix of quality slate, which will definitely realize our two objectives.  We have people from the executive, legislative, business, and most importantly, health (sector),” said Ian, who has served the government for 32 years as Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Chairman, PB member, and city councilor.

Ian said his two main focus areas are free hospitalization and secure water supply direct to end the unending woes of the people, under the current administration.

In Talisay City, incumbent Mayor Samsam Gullas and his party-mates also filed their COCs yesterday, while supporters gathered outside the City Hall. — (FREEMAN)