Gov-elect Pam Baricuatro’s challenges

It is now clear that outgoing Governor Gwen Garcia is bent on making life difficult for Governor-elect Pam Baricuatro. Gwen is ready to throw every possible obstacle into Pam’s path. It would be foolhardy for the incoming governor to think that appealing to her predecessor’s better nature would work.

After losing in the recent election, Gwen has not slowed down. She has grown fiercer each day. Bitter and angry, she shows no sign of exiting gracefully.

Look at the facts. At the eleventh hour, she still pushed for the ?1.2 billion supplemental budget. It was only due to public outrage that the usually canine-obedient Provincial Board was stopped from approving it. Credit goes to Board Member Jimbo Borgonia for leaking information about the special session called for that purpose. His disclosure prompted Cebuanos to remain alert and vigilant.

Gwen still wants her influence felt even if she is no longer in the Capitol building. “Even without her at Capitol, Gwen assures key programs to continue”, read the headline of this newspaper. She directed the provincial treasurer to create trust funds for her programs, especially her favorites --Suroy-Suroy Sugbo and Pasigarbo sa Sugbo. This move came after Pam announced she would discontinue her predecessor’s flagship programs. Gwen’s penchant for spectacle or display has led her to neglect the health services needed by her poor constituents. Now, she seeks to tie Pam’s hands, making it difficult for the people’s governor to implement her own priorities.

Prior to this, Gwen filed an election protest even if she ate the dust on May 12, 2025. She cannot figure out that she has no one to blame for her defeat but herself. She filed cases left and right against her critics, demanded submission from everyone, abandoned the Dutertes and hired a vlogger who, instead of boosting her campaign, only damaged it further. She has consistently displayed arrogance in both words and actions. Not even the political powerhouse One Cebu was enough to secure her a victory.

But Gwen will not stop. On Tuesday, Pam issued a statement in relation to Gwen’s alleged intention to hold office in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Building. The incoming governor said, “It has come to our attention that the outgoing governor has requested the national offices of COA, Comelec, DAR and DILG to vacate their respective offices in the legislative building, aiming to convert the space into her personal office under the Office of the Vice Governor.”

I sometimes wonder why some people cling to power like leeches. What is it about that position that she simply cannot let go of? It is only natural for people to start asking such questions.

But more than guarding herself against Gwen’s political games, Pam should also guard herself against those who surround her now. She must ensure that the people around her genuinely share her goal of serving the Cebuanos. Success or failure comes mostly from within not from without.

Above all, she should live up to her claim that she is the people’s governor.

My best wishes!