Gwen seeks reelection with Glenn as runningmate

Local

CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia formalized her bid to complete a sixth term after she filed her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) on Tuesday, October 8.

Garcia arrived at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Cebu Provincial Office accompanied by her son Paolo and daughter Carissa, who is the second nominee of the Ako Bisaya party-list.

During a press conference after filing her COC, Garcia clarified that she is running under her local party, One Cebu, and will not align with any national party, despite her continued support for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

She emphasized that she backed Marcos early on, even before his successful 2022 presidential run, though she has not formally joined his Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP).

Addressing internal competition within One Cebu, Garcia acknowledged that some party members are running against each other in various local races.

She explained that One Cebu’s policy prioritizes endorsing incumbents seeking reelection, while new candidates will be supported in areas without an incumbent from the party.

One such situation has emerged in Cebu’s 4th District, where Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura, a member of One Cebu, is running for the congressional seat.

He is set to face incumbent Congresswoman Janice Salimbangon, who is also from One Cebu, in what is expected to be a tight race.

Garcia’s runningmate was only determined less than an hour before the deadline of the filing of COC.

Incumbent Provincial Board Member Glenn Soco filed his COC for vice governor, catching everyone by surprise as he was initially expected to seek reelection.

Soco will go up against former Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Joselito Ruiz, who filed his COC for vice governor on Tuesday afternoon.

Garcia highlighted her ongoing projects at the Capitol, which she described as “unfinished business.” These include relocating the provincial government seat to Balamban.

She also detailed plans to enhance Cebu City properties owned by the provincial government to generate more revenue, ensuring these assets remain under government stewardship rather than being sold.

Garcia reaffirmed her commitment to continuing social programs like Sugbo Negosyo, Sugbo Kahanas, and the Caravan of Services, all of which are designed to help disadvantaged Cebuanos.

She also expressed her determination to resolve the 93-1 issue, which affects thousands of informal settlers occupying Capitol-owned land in Cebu City.(MyTVCebu)