New Cebu governor takes oath

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CEBU CITY — Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro took her oath of office on Thursday after winning the election in Cebu on May 12.

She will officially assume the governorship of the province on July 1, signaling a focused transition and a commitment to unity and public service.

Baricuatro was sworn in by Judge Anna Marie Militante at the Cebu City Sports Club. The ceremony, attended by close family and friends, also drew the presence of Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival and former Tourism secretary Ace Durano.

ALL SIGNED Governor-elect Pamela 'Pam' Baricuatro signs official documents following her oath-taking ceremony at the Cebu City Sports Club on May 22, 2025. Behind her is her partner, strategist Dr. Brian To. PHOTO BY KAISER JAN FUENTES

She described the occasion as the beginning of a "new era" for the province and emphasized that her oath-taking was a small and personal gathering.

She said everyone present was closely related to her and called the ceremony "the real thing," which they owed to the people of Cebu.

Baricuatro scored an upset victory in the midterm polls, garnering over 1.1 million votes against incumbent Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia's roughly 800,000 votes.

Baricuatro's victory prevented Garcia from serving a sixth term as governor of Cebu.

Following her oath, Baricuatro called for unity and cooperation, particularly with members of the provincial board.

Baricuatro announced that a larger public inaugural event would take place on July 1 at the Provincial Capitol.

She also shared her intention to invite Vice President Sara Duterte to the celebration.

The governor-elect also outlined changes in provincial priorities, particularly the reallocation of funds previously earmarked for the controversial Capitol transfer to Balamban.

She also criticized the nearly P1 billion set aside for the project, saying the money should instead support health care programs.

She explained that her administration would open satellite offices, including a potential site in northern Cebu, likely Medellin, to bring services closer to constituents.

Archival, meanwhile, voiced his support for Baricuatro's leadership.

The new mayor of Cebu City said Baricuatro's victory served as a reminder that public service belongs to the people and looked forward to a "harmonious" collaboration between the province and the city.

Archival also expressed interest in working with Baricuatro to fast-track the Metro Cebu Expressway project, which had been entrusted to the Capitol by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

He said he asked her if they could join forces, using their respective engineering teams and the DPWH to find ways to speed up the project, citing its potential to ease traffic.

Baricuatro also discussed personnel evaluation amid the transition, stating that unnecessary staff changes should be avoided.

She explained that they did not need to remove everyone and emphasized the importance of properly evaluating who should stay and who should be retained to prevent operational disruption.

Meanwhile, Baricuatro appointed Ace Durano as her special adviser for economic and political affairs.

Durano backed her decision to scrap the tourism programs Pasigarbo sa Sugbo and Suroy-Suroy Sugbo.

Durano pointed out that while Cebu's destinations like Oslob, Moalboal, and Mactan are popular, they lack supporting infrastructure.

He said that to make tourists stay longer, the focus must be on facilities, services, and especially emergency health services.

He highlighted that high-end tourists such as divers need reliable emergency access, and patients from remote areas are still transported to Cebu City, which delays treatment due to traffic and access limitations.

Durano said public demand for health services dated back to 2022.

He supported Baricuatro's health care focus and accepted his new role after seeing the sincerity of her governance priorities.

He said he liked the governor's priorities and wanted to help bring them to the people. He added that they would prioritize longstanding needs that had been neglected.

Baricuatro, who campaigned on a platform of "tinuod nga serbisyo" or genuine service, reiterated in a social media post that she was happy to work together with fellow Cebuanos toward that goal.

Durano expressed enthusiasm about the new direction and stated his excitement to work with Baricuatro in providing Cebuanos the services they truly deserve.: