Pam denies receiving bulletproof SUV from contractor

Local

A LAWYER friend, not a flood control project contractor, lent Governor Pamela Baricuatro the bulletproof gray Land Cruiser she has been using since the campaign season.

She clarified this on Wednesday, September 10, as she denied rumors linking the vehicle to Allan Quirante, owner of QM Builders, a company that secured numerous flood control projects nationwide between 2022 and 2025.

Baricuatro said the SUV was an old unit provided by a concerned family friend after the couple received security and death threats.

"Naay mga text man gud nga patyonon ka... Mao ni akoang mga friends ba, concerned kaayo sila kay it takes one bullet you know to finish me off," she told the media.

She explained that she continues to use the SUV due to safety concerns and that she personally covers its fuel costs, as the Capitol has not yet provided her with an official service vehicle.

To back her statement, she presented documents identifying the registered owner of the car.

Her remarks followed questions raised earlier in the week after former governor Gwendolyn Garcia was asked about alleged ties to Quirante.

In a press conference on Monday, September 8, Garcia flatly denied benefiting from controversial project contractors. She insisted that Quirante never received a single Capitol project under her watch, saying “Wa, way singko nga project na si Quirante. Mao lage i-review lang gyud unta ang records, the records will speak."

When pressed about persistent rumors, Garcia redirected attention to the current governor.

“Pero kaning magsige og link naku, sige gyud og insister, pangutan-a kuno kinsay nihatag anang iyang grey nga land cruiser,” she said. “Ako, wa may muhatag og Land Cruiser naku nga bullet proof color grey.”

Garcia also accused QM Builders of failing to pay quarry permit fees, alleging that the company extracted more than 100,000 cubic meters of soil without permits and left millions unpaid to the province.

She added that she declined Quirante’s invitation to his son’s wedding because of the firm’s unsettled obligations.(MyTVCebu)