Rival factions, unified front: Cebu’s newly-elected officials hoist service over party allegiance

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Cebu Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro and Cebu City Mayor-elect Nestor Archival share interesting parallels in their campaign road despite being part of conflicting factions

CEBU, Philippines – As local governments in Cebu begin their turnovers, Cebu Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro and Cebu City Mayor-elect Nestor Archival have separately announced their intention to work together despite coming from parties that have been in conflict with each other for years. 

Archival ran under the Liberal Party — one of many political parties that opposed the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban), led by former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Baricuatro ran as the local PDP-Laban gubernatorial bet.

Many political analysts described both Baricuatro and Archival’s victories in their respective electoral races as “massive electoral upsets” or unexpected wins, amid local surveys that showed their competitors, outgoing Cebu governor Gwen Garcia and nephew, outgoing Cebu City mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, respectively, in the lead.

With their wins declared on May 13, Baricuatro and Archival appeared before the media on May 20, promising cooperation between the province and capital city. On May 22, Baricuatro took her oath at the Cebu City Sports Club with Archival in attendance.

“It has to be a colorless leadership and governance,” Baricuatro said during a Rappler Talk episode on May 21.

Cebu comes first

“It’s a very good dynamic. Ang amo man gud gitan-aw (What we’re both looking into) is the development of the city and the province. We cannot work alone,” Archival told Rappler on Monday, May 26.

For Archival, there are a range of issues that require the cooperation of the provincial and the Cebu City government. These include the development of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT), addressing the local water crisis, and most especially, the settlement of the 93-1 land swap deal.

The 93-1 land swap deal refers to the province and city government’s agreement in 1993 to transfer ownership of provincial lots in Cebu City to upland residents. This program has met multiple delays due to clashing opinions between the capitol and city leadership.

In 2018, then-city mayor Tomas Osmeña, Archival’s ally, signed a land swap agreement with then-governor Hilario Davide III. But this was not accomplished as Gwen Garcia had taken the gubernatorial seat from Davide in the 2019 polls and opposed the deal. 

During a media forum on May 20, the newly-elected mayor said that he had spoken with Baricuatro who had vowed to honor the 2018 agreement.

“It’s a Cebu First policy because we can set aside the ‘national’ for the meantime but focus on the province and the city,” Archival said in a mix of English and Cebuano.

Parallels

Both Archival and Baricuatro share interesting parallels on their paths to their respective seats which can be observed from their challenges against the incumbent Garcias to admitting having limited resources to conduct caucuses and rallies.

Archival said during the May 20 presser that he had only a handful of barangay captains supporting his campaign. Likewise, Baricuatro said in previous interviews that her opponent, the outgoing governor, had the ruling One Cebu party under her fingertips.

Despite not intersecting when it came to political affiliations, Baricuatro and Archival both agreed that their primary push for the province and capital was an improved public health care system.

Baricuatro told Rappler on May 21 that she would prioritize less costly tourism programs and reallocate funds to augment the province’s budget in health care. Archival, for his part, vowed to complete the unfinished Cebu City Medical Center within a year of his term.

University of San Carlos political science department faculty member Niño Olayvar told Rappler on May 26, that Baricuatro and Archival’s commitment to cooperate on local issues was a “good start.”

“For years, the provincial-city political relations have been proven to be a challenge in several administrations. The nature of the relationship crosses important points like power delineation and jurisdiction,” Olayvar said.

The political science expert said that both parties could take on a more collaborative approach in implementing development projects by reviewing existing programs over their objectives and methodologies.

In the past, the outgoing governor and ex-Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama had been in conflict with each other over the development of the CBRT. Garcia halted civil works at the CBRT claiming that a supposed bus station would block the view of the Cebu Provincial Capitol building.

Olayvar urged the reevaluation of the causes of deadlocks and delays that prevented the completion of major projects as well.

“Lastly, I think it’s important for there to be stakeholder participation mechanisms in decision-making processes for both local government units, most especially in their act of collaboration,” Olayvar concluded. – Rappler.com