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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
May 23, 2025 | 10:48am
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia
FREEMAN / File
MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has demanded Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia and the Department of Interior and Local Government to explain their failure to comply with a preventive suspension order issued last month.
In separate show-cause orders dated May 19, Ombudsman Samuel Martires gave both parties five days to justify why they should not be cited in indirect contempt for defying the April 23 suspension order.
Garcia received the order on April 29 but has publicly refused to step down despite the directive's "immediately executory" nature. The suspension, which does not exceed six months, stems from allegations that she illegally granted permits to a construction company without required environmental clearances.
The Ombudsman noted that Garcia has "continuously defied" the preventive suspension and "publicly avowed not to abide" by the directive.
Meanwhile, DILG Undersecretary Rolando Puno told reporters during a May 9 press conference that his agency would not enforce the suspension while awaiting guidance from the Commission on Elections regarding the need for approval when suspending elected officials during campaign periods.
The Ombudsman rejected this reasoning, stating that the DILG "knows fully well that the Order has already been implemented and is immediately executory." The agency was ordered to explain why it should not be cited for "tolerating or consenting to the acts of defiance" by Garcia.
The case against Garcia was filed by complainant Moises Deiparine, who accused the governor of granting a special permit to Shalom Construction, Inc. on May 14, 2024, without securing an Environmental Compliance Certificate or Certificate of Non-Coverage from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and without conducting proper consultations with relevant government agencies.
Both Garcia and the DILG have five days from receipt of the show-cause orders to submit their explanations to the Ombudsman's office.
