Team Pam navigating independence during period of transition
A Splashy Start: New Cebu Governor-elect Faces Document Delay
In a candid chat with reporters, Pamela Baricuatro, Cebu's newly elected governor, revealed her transition team is still wrestling with the hold-up on essential documents from incumbent Gwendolyn Garcia just five days before assuming office on June 30, 2025.
Baricuatro expressed frustration over Garcia's team's reluctance to meet her team before the handover date. "We're floundering," she admitted, adding that her team is diligently working to legally secure the documents necessary to ascertain the Provincial Government's current health.
While Garcia's team has scheduled the document turnover for Monday, it's uncertain if the outgoing governor will be present.
The provincial transition process, as outlined by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), is set to encourage transparency, orderly transfers, and continuity of local government services. The DILG, however, doesn't specify a pre-assumption meeting between transition teams in its Memorandum 2025-016. Instead, it emphasizes the crucial role of outgoing local chief executives and considers the incoming local chief executive's team as supplementary to the Local Governance Transition Team (LGTT).
On June 25, Baricuatro sought guidance on governance matters and discussed Local Government Unit healthcare with outgoing Vice Gov. Hilario Davide III. In a previous statement, Davide had expressed his support for Baricuatro ahead of the leadership transition, particularly urging the incoming Provincial Board (PB) to stand behind her. Despite most PB members being affiliated with Garcia's One Cebu Party, Baricuatro edged out Garcia in the polls, denying the latter a third consecutive term (sixth overall) as governor.
Baricuatro's transition team head, Edmund Lao, shared that it may take about a week to thoroughly review and assess all critical documents. An executive briefing with department heads of the Provincial Capitol is scheduled for July 3, followed by a meeting with DILG Cebu Provincial Director Robert Jesus Sastrillo Jr. on June 27 to formalize the Monday turnover.
According to DILG guidelines, the handover should involve transparency, accountability, and cooperation between administrations. Outgoing teams are tasked with providing all essential documents and information, while incoming teams must prepare to receive and understand the operational status.
Yet, despite the DILG's endeavors to foster impartiality and order, political tensions can still arise during the transition, as exemplified by the current situation in Cebu.
- The new Cebu governor-elect, Pamela Baricuatro, is facing a document delay from incumbent Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, just five days before her inauguration on June 30, 2025.
- The delay in the provision of essential documents from Garcia's team is hindering Baricuatro's transition team from assessing the current health of the Provincial Government, as they strive to ensure continuity of local services.
- The upcoming meetings between Baricuatro's team and Garcia's team, including the document turnover scheduled for Monday, are crucial amidst the provincial transition process outlined by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
- The elections in Cebu, which saw Baricuatro edge out Garcia, highlighted the political tensions that can still arise during the transition process, despite the DILG's efforts to promote impartiality and order.
