Baricuatro vows uninterrupted services despite rocky transition

On her first day as Cebu’s new governor, Pamela “Pam” Silagan Baricuatro assured her constituents that public services will continue without disruption despite a rocky transition process from the previous administration.

Baricuatro, who won a decisive victory over outgoing Governor Gwendolyn “Gwen” Garcia in the May 12 midterm elections, lamented the lack of cooperation from her predecessor’s camp in facilitating a smooth handover of power.

Last week, she aired her frustrations publicly, citing that her team was not given access to essential documents necessary for the transition.

According to her, her team were not provided with the documents needed for the transition from the office of Garcia, whom she soundly defeated in the recently concluded May 12 midterm election with 1,107,924 votes against Garcia’s 765,051 votes.

While this is not the first time she has raised concerns over what she described as lack of transparency, Baricuatro’s camp emphasized that the province’s core services will remain intact and fully operational.

To help address the transition challenges, Baricuatro’s team has scheduled a coordination meeting with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). They are also putting in place measures to ensure continuity in governance and service delivery at the Capitol.

She also appealed to the province’s public servants and stakeholders to work together for a smoother shift in leadership.

“The path forward is clear—genuine service, clean governance, and unity for all Cebuanos,” she avowed while baring some of her plans during the first days of her governorship, which includes an executive briefing with department heads on July 3, 2025 to discuss key updates and assessments on Cebu’s major governance pillars that include economic, social, environmental, disaster risk and institutional sectors.

Despite early obstacles, Baricuatro remains committed to fostering a transparent and inclusive administration aimed at uplifting the lives of all Cebuanos. TRACY CABRERA