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CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia is once again defying a suspension order, her third such standoff with the law ahead of an election cycle.
The Office of the Ombudsman confirmed to media on April 28 Garcia’s suspension. This was in relation to her approval of a special permit for Shalom Construction Inc. to desilt the Mananga River without the required Environmental Compliance Certificate. But just three days after, on May 1, she appeared before the Cebu Provincial Capitol for the opening ceremony of the “pilot” sale of rice at P20 per kilo.
Ombudsman Samuel Martires called this a serious abuse of power, comparing it to the Chocolate Hills controversy — but even worse, since the damage occurred in a protected area.
Yet Garcia has been steadfast in refusing to leave the capitol. Martires reiterated the suspension order and publicly criticized her actions, but Garcia’s response was a dismissive “Noted. Salamat po (Thank you).”
Garcia’s defiance continued at a rally in Dumanjug on May 5, where she danced with supporters just before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. endorsed her and the entire One Cebu slate for the upcoming elections.
The alliance between Garcia and Marcos has been long-standing, with Garcia playing a crucial role in securing over 1.5 million votes for the President in Cebu during the 2022 elections — his largest provincial win. (READ: Cebu turns red: Former opposition bailiwick gives Marcos his biggest win)
At a press conference, she expressed gratitude for Marcos’ support and urged her followers to trust in divine justice.
“There’s a greater power than the governor, than the Ombudsman, or even the troll farm. There’s a God up there that knows exactly what the truth is and eventually, the truth will prevail,” she declared.
But the truth, as the records tell it, is more complex than divine justice.
Garcia, the daughter of former governor Pablo Garcia, served three consecutive terms and later returned for a fourth term in 2019, becoming the longest-serving governor in Cebu’s history.
Her influence peaked in 2022 when she became the first — and so far, only — provincial governor in the Philippines to surpass 1 million votes.
Yet her remarkable rise has always been shadowed by controversy: in 2012, she made history once again as the first Cebu governor to be suspended while in office.
In 2018, while serving as a congresswoman, Garcia faced another blow when the Ombudsman ordered her dismissal.
And now, in 2025, Garcia faces yet another suspension order but continues to defy the Ombudsman. She argues that the suspension violates election-related prohibitions because it was issued within 90 days of the election without the approval of the Commission on Elections.
2012 capitol lockdown
Garcia made national headlines in December 2012 when she defied a six-month suspension order by locking herself inside the Cebu provincial capitol for 42 days — an act that would become one of her most notorious political standoffs.
The suspension, issued by then-president Benigno Aquino III and enforced by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, stemmed from a complaint filed in November 2010 by then–vice governor Gregorio “Greg” Sanchez Jr.
Sanchez had accused Garcia of grave abuse of authority — bypassing his office by appointing staff without his consent, hiring contractual employees without coordination, and slashing the budget of his office.
But by the time the suspension order was issued — 474 days after the complaint was filed — Sanchez had already died from lung cancer.
Garcia’s camp called this delay a violation of the Local Government Code, which requires administrative cases to be resolved within a reasonable time.
She also pointed to the timing — December 2012, just five months before the 2013 elections, where she ran for Congress under the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
UNA, led by former president Joseph Estrada and then-vice president Jejomar Binay, was challenging Aquino’s Liberal Party, and Garcia was one of its most prominent figures in vote-rich Cebu.
Instead of stepping down, she defiantly dared authorities to remove her, stating: “I will continue to discharge my function as governor of Cebu and if they want to stop me, then they have to do that over my dead body.” (WATCH: Garcia on leaving Cebu capitol: Over my dead body)
She denounced the order as “illegal and politically motivated” and issued an executive order instructing provincial employees to ignore directives from then–vice governor Agnes Magpale, who had been sworn in as acting governor. This led to a chaotic two-governor situation, with both women claiming authority over the province.
The standoff attracted national attention, with Binay visiting Garcia to condemn the suspension as political harassment, while Malacañang defended it as due process. (READ: Cebu and Garcia suspension: Whose battle is it?)
After 42 days, Garcia quietly left her office at night to attend a public event in Oslob, Cebu. The move was a sharp contrast to the political drama unfolding in the capital, where Magpale, backed by the Aquino administration, immediately ordered the office to be padlocked — effectively ending the standoff.
Garcia, however, refuted any notion of defeat, claiming her departure was driven by the public’s “clamor” for her presence, not surrender.
In the 2013 elections, Garcia faced off against Geraldine Yapha, the Aquino-backed candidate for Cebu’s 3rd District congressional seat.
Despite the lingering controversy, Garcia secured a narrow victory by a margin of just 1,984 votes, reclaiming her political foothold and securing her position in the House of Representatives.
2018 dismissal
Garcia’s political career faced another challenge in 2018, when the Ombudsman ordered her dismissal for grave misconduct over the 2008 Balili land deal — citing lack of authority, fund misuse, and violations of budget rules in the P98.9-million purchase of mostly submerged property.
On February 12, 2018, the Ombudsman ordered Garcia’s dismissal with penalties including perpetual disqualification from public office, cancellation of eligibility, and loss of retirement benefits — but the House allowed her to remain in office, citing congressional independence.
As Deputy Speaker and a member of the House justice committee handling Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s impeachment, she argued that the ruling was politically motivated to weaken her influence in the impeachment proceedings.
In May 2019, just three days before the elections, the Court of Appeals reversed Garcia’s dismissal, applying the condonation doctrine, which forgives past offenses if an official is reelected to the same position, assuming voters have pardoned their past mistakes.
Although Garcia committed the offense while serving as governor, she was a congresswoman when the condonation doctrine was applied, leading to controversy as critics argued it should only apply if the official returns to the same position.
Despite this, Garcia reclaimed the Cebu governorship in 2019, winning 887,290 votes and defeating Magpale by over 288,000 votes, making her the only Cebu governor to secure a fourth-term comeback.
The 2019 elections also cemented the Garcias’ dominance in Cebu politics. Her brother Pablo John succeeded her as 3rd District representative, her brother Marlon was reelected Barili mayor, her daughter Christina Garcia-Frasco was reelected mayor of Liloan, and her son-in-law Duke Frasco ended the Duranos’ 70-year grip on the 5th District congressional seat.
Political capital
Governor Garcia’s repeated defiance of suspension orders is a familiar tactic among Philippine public officials, Cebu Normal University political science professor Erma Janne Cayas said.
“Her case only reveals the legal ambiguities under the Philippine administrative system and laws that can be used to counter accountability,” Cayas told Rappler. “The weak enforcement and gaps suggest that public officials can use electoral legitimacy and procedural tricks to challenge, or at least postpone, the imposition of administrative sanctions.”
Cayas also pointed out that Garcia’s ability to remain in power despite these orders results from her “political capital combined with strategic legal tactics.”
Despite her suspension, Garcia’s popularity continues to surge, with a recent Boses ng Bayan survey showing 98% support for her reelection bid, a notable increase from 95.8%, reflecting her continued political consolidation, explained Dr. Paul Martinez, executive director of RPMD Foundation Inc.
He added that Garcia’s political coalition, led by her party One Cebu, is not only loyal but also formidable, with mayors, congressmen, and local officials across the province firmly aligned with her.
“Attacking her,” Martinez said, “is not just a miscalculation — it’s a direct confrontation with the entire political structure of the province.” – Rappler.com
Marjuice Destinado is a Political Science student and campus journalist from Cebu Normal University. The feature editor of Ang Suga and a fact checker at Explained PH, she is an Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship candidate from April-May 2025.
