Authority revokes Gwen's position; governor pledges resistance against decision
Cebu Governor, Gwen Garcia, Slapped with Six-Month Suspension
In a surprising turn of events, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has been ordered for a six-month preventive suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman, following her issuance of a special permit that allowed a desilting activity in a protected area during the 2024 El Niño crisis.
Speaking out on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, Garcia announced her intention to contest the order, deeming it unwarranted due to a provision from the Omnibus Election Code which prohibits the suspension of elective officials without prior approval from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) during the election period.
Garcia emphasized her lack of due process, as she had never been notified of the complaint and was not given an opportunity to reply before the issuance of the preventive suspension.
"No Comelec approval was secured prior to the issuance of this suspension," she said.
The election period began on January 12, 2025, and will conclude on June 11. Garcia is actively seeking a third consecutive term in the May 12 midterm polls.
The anti-graft office contends that the order is "immediately executory," and the governor will be suspended without pay pending the case's resolution.
This isn't the first preventive suspension imposed on Governor Garcia. In December 2012, the Office of the President suspended her for six months, following a grave abuse of authority complaint filed by the late Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez. At the time, Garcia denied any wrongdoing and labeled the suspension as politically motivated to benefit the administration's candidate during the 2013 midterm elections.
The Controversial Permit
The preventive suspension order, released on April 29, 2025, emerged from an administrative complaint accusing the governor of committing grave abuse of authority, gross misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross negligence, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and violation of Republic Act 6713, or Code of Conduct of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
Garcia granted Special Permit 2024-09 on May 14, 2024, authorizing Shalom Construction Inc. to conduct desilting activities in the Mananga River in Talisay City and Lusaran River in Cebu City. The two bodies of water fall within the Central Cebu Protected Landscape.
The complaint alleges that the permit was granted without an Environmental Compliance Certificate or a Certificate of Non-Coverage from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and without prior consultation with relevant agencies.
Addressing the Water Crisis
Garcia defended the permit, stating that it was issued to tackle the El Niño phenomenon-induced water crisis which severely affected the Metropolitan Cebu Water District franchise area.
From July 2023 to June 2024, the Philippines faced the El Niño phenomenon, resulting in agricultural damages and water shortages. According to Garcia, this action was carried out in urgency to alleviate a severe water shortage. The desilting was conducted with coordination from the cities of Cebu and Talisay, the DENR, the Environmental Management Bureau, and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
Additionally, Garcia noted that the Cebu Provincial Board had declared a state of calamity, which supported her decision.
There was no personal interest or malice involved, only a deep sense of responsibility to swiftly address the growing burdens and suffering of the Cebuanos due to the dwindling water supply, potentially causing health hazards caused by the unavailability of clean water, Garcia said.
Garcia claimed that the complainant, Moises Garcia Deiparine, who founded the Duterte Riders Team and is openly affiliated with partisan political groups, and Ombudsman Samuel Martires, who signed the order on April 23, is an appointee of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
"It is important to note that the complainant is a known political figure affiliated with partisan groups. We will allow the facts, not political motivations, to speak for themselves," Garcia said.
- The preventive suspension of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman, stems from her issuance of Special Permit 2024-09, which allowed desilting activities in a protected area during the 2024 El Niño crisis.
- The permit, granted on May 14, 2024, was issued to address the El Niño phenomenon-induced water crisis that severely affected the Metropolitan Cebu Water District franchise area.
- The controversy surrounding the permit lies in its approval without an Environmental Compliance Certificate or a Certificate of Non-Coverage from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and without prior consultation with relevant agencies.
- Garcia defended the permit, pointing out that it was a response to an urgent need to alleviate the water shortage, and was conducted with coordination from various agencies, including the cities of Cebu and Talisay, the DENR, the Environmental Management Bureau, and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
- The Cebu Provincial Board had declared a state of calamity, which supported Garcia's decision to issue the permit.
- Garcia expressed concerns about political motivations behind the complaint against her and the subsequent preventive suspension order, as the complainant, Moises Garcia Deiparine, is affiliated with partisan political groups, and Ombudsman Samuel Martires is an appointee of former President Rodrigo Duterte. She emphasized the importance of letting the facts rather than political motivations determine the outcome of the case.
