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Sunday, Sep 14, 2025
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Cebu Elects Pamela Baricuatro as New Governor in Upset Victory
Pamela Baricuatro becomes the second female governor of Cebu Province, defeating incumbent Gwendolyn Garcia in the 2025 midterm elections.
Pamela Baricuatro has been elected as the new governor of Cebu Province, marking a significant political shift as she becomes the second woman to hold the office.
Her victory over incumbent Gwendolyn Garcia in the 2025 midterm elections was confirmed by the Cebu Provincial Board of Canvassers on Tuesday.
Baricuatro received 1,107,924 votes compared to Garcia's 765,051 and independent candidate Valeriano Gingco's 33,563 votes.
The announcement of Baricuatro's victory faced delays due to technical issues with an automated counting machine (ACM), specifically a malfunctioning USB driver, which required reformatting and resulted in a longer vote transmission process.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) 7 Director Francisco Pobe explained that after the USB was reformatted, electoral officials had to manually reinsert official ballots into the machine for recounting.
Following her proclamation, Baricuatro emphasized her intention to be known as the 'people's governor,' reflecting her support base rather than endorsements from local mayors or barangay leaders.
"I only have people behind me, so I want to be known as the ‘people’s governor,’" she stated.
The proclamation was briefly interrupted when Garcia's camp filed a petition to pause the official announcement, but this was clarified by Comelec officials, indicating only the Comelec Central Office in Manila could authorize such a suspension.
In the race for vice-governor, Provincial Board Member Glenn Soco won against independent candidate Joselito Ruiz.
Baricuatro's campaign was notably supported by followers of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who endorsed her candidacy.
In her statements, she expressed hope for Duterte’s return to the Philippines amid his legal challenges related to crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
As her top priority, Baricuatro aims to enhance the province’s healthcare system.
She plans to continue existing programs under the current administration while reviewing and potentially overhauling those she finds ineffective.
She advocates for a streamlined delivery of services from the Cebu Provincial Capitol to ensure more inclusive governance.
Baricuatro has also signaled her intent to reevaluate Garcia's notable programs, Suroy-Suroy Sugbo and Pasigarbo sa Sugbo, and expressed opposition to the relocation of the Cebu Capitol to Balamban, citing potential inconvenience for constituents.
Her political background includes serving as a Kabataan Barangay (KB) chairperson at the age of 16, alongside academic credentials in political science and law.
Additionally, she has experience as a flight attendant and was appointed to the board of directors of Landbank Resource Development Corporation during Duterte's presidency.
She is the founder of SimplyShare Foundation Inc., which operates the first food bank in the Visayas.
Baricuatro's eight-point agenda focuses on enhancing healthcare services, combating poverty and hunger, intensifying anti-corruption and anti-drug initiatives, increasing livelihood opportunities, protecting the environment, addressing traffic issues, and fostering opportunities for youth, women, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Her victory over incumbent Gwendolyn Garcia in the 2025 midterm elections was confirmed by the Cebu Provincial Board of Canvassers on Tuesday.
Baricuatro received 1,107,924 votes compared to Garcia's 765,051 and independent candidate Valeriano Gingco's 33,563 votes.
The announcement of Baricuatro's victory faced delays due to technical issues with an automated counting machine (ACM), specifically a malfunctioning USB driver, which required reformatting and resulted in a longer vote transmission process.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) 7 Director Francisco Pobe explained that after the USB was reformatted, electoral officials had to manually reinsert official ballots into the machine for recounting.
Following her proclamation, Baricuatro emphasized her intention to be known as the 'people's governor,' reflecting her support base rather than endorsements from local mayors or barangay leaders.
"I only have people behind me, so I want to be known as the ‘people’s governor,’" she stated.
The proclamation was briefly interrupted when Garcia's camp filed a petition to pause the official announcement, but this was clarified by Comelec officials, indicating only the Comelec Central Office in Manila could authorize such a suspension.
In the race for vice-governor, Provincial Board Member Glenn Soco won against independent candidate Joselito Ruiz.
Baricuatro's campaign was notably supported by followers of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who endorsed her candidacy.
In her statements, she expressed hope for Duterte’s return to the Philippines amid his legal challenges related to crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
As her top priority, Baricuatro aims to enhance the province’s healthcare system.
She plans to continue existing programs under the current administration while reviewing and potentially overhauling those she finds ineffective.
She advocates for a streamlined delivery of services from the Cebu Provincial Capitol to ensure more inclusive governance.
Baricuatro has also signaled her intent to reevaluate Garcia's notable programs, Suroy-Suroy Sugbo and Pasigarbo sa Sugbo, and expressed opposition to the relocation of the Cebu Capitol to Balamban, citing potential inconvenience for constituents.
Her political background includes serving as a Kabataan Barangay (KB) chairperson at the age of 16, alongside academic credentials in political science and law.
Additionally, she has experience as a flight attendant and was appointed to the board of directors of Landbank Resource Development Corporation during Duterte's presidency.
She is the founder of SimplyShare Foundation Inc., which operates the first food bank in the Visayas.
Baricuatro's eight-point agenda focuses on enhancing healthcare services, combating poverty and hunger, intensifying anti-corruption and anti-drug initiatives, increasing livelihood opportunities, protecting the environment, addressing traffic issues, and fostering opportunities for youth, women, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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