CEBU CITY, Cebu — Governor-elect Pamela 'Pam' Silagan Baricuatro of Cebu is frustrated with outgoing governor Gwendolyn 'Gwen' Garcia and her team’s lack of cooperation in the transition process in preparation of the turnover of the province's governorship to her next week on Monday, June 30, 2025.
As the official transition draws near, Baricuatro once again called out to Garcia for her lack of cooperation in initiating a smooth turnover of the reigns of governance of Cebu. This time, the incoming governor took out her frustration in social media to air out her complaints over the uncooperative attitude of her predecessor.
According to her, her team has yet to receive 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.
“This is to inform the public that until now, wala pay formal nga turnover of records sa Transition Team ni GPB (Governor Pamela Baricuatro) from the office of the outgoing governor (This is to inform that the public that until now, there is no formal turnover of records by the Transition Team in GPB (Governor Pamela Baricuatro) from the office of the outgoing governor),” Baricuatro posted in social media.
This isn’t the first time that the incoming governor has voiced frustration over what she calls a lack of transparency in the transition process. Yet, despite the setbacks, Baricuatro's camp assured that they would be preparing to hit the ground running on Day 1.
A formal turnover ceremony has already been scheduled, even if Garcia does not attend, it was announced in a separate press release. The incoming provincial administration likewise promised that the delivery of basic services to the citizenry will not be disrupted.
With a coordination meeting already set with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Baricuatro enthused that her team is going its best to ensure continuity of service at the provincial capitol despite all the challenges facing the transition.
She also appealled 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.