Pam Baricuatro, gov aspirant, eyes ‘change in leadership’ for Cebu

Gubernatorial aspirant Pamela Baricuatro in a PDP convergence meeting on Thursday, October 10. | CDN Photo/ Pia Piquero

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Gubernatorial aspirant Pamela “Pam” Baricuatro recently revealed her reasons for running as governor in Cebu, and one of them is to have a change in leadership in the province.

She will be running under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

In a news forum on Tuesday, Baricuatro shared some information about her and her platforms for the upcoming 2025 elections.

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Baricuatro, a notable philanthropist in Cebu, was a former flight attendant whose roots can be traced in Pinamungajan town in western Cebu.

During her tenure in Cathay Pacific, she started a foundation for hunger and food security for children which was the nonprofit group SimplyShare Foundation.

Baricuatro said that she had been secretary general of Partido Federal in the previous elections but things did not go well, and later she became the head of Hakbang ng Maisug-Cebu.

She decided to run for governor after she saw “so much” poverty in the province, based on her experience conducting feeding programs for her foundation.

She said that “poverty is interrelated with corruption” and that is her “program of action.”

“When corruption is high, it’s the poor that suffers. Corruption steals from the poor,” Baricuatro said.

Apart from the two, she said that access to healthcare and farmer support are among the problems that needed to be addressed in Cebu Province.

“Daghan kaayong naglisod and that’s one of the reasons gyud nganong ni-run ko. But let me make it clear nga I did not just wake up one day and say ‘modagan ko.’ I went through the selection process of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas,” Baricuatro said.

(Many are suffering and that’s one of the reasons that I am running. But let me make it clear that I did not just wake up one day and say that ‘I will run’. I went through the selection process of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.)

Moreover, Baricuatro said that the current administration might have measures to address poverty and corruption but it needed “transparency measures.”

Strict protocols for government transparency must be implemented, including public access to budget allocation and expenditure, she said.

Other programs that she is planning to push include community-based monitoring groups, a program that would protect a whistleblower, and infrastructure projects among others.

Initially, prior to the death of Dr. Rowena Burden, who previously declared her intention to run against Garcia, Baricuatro said that she planned to run for a seat in the congress for the 3rd district.

But with Burden’s passing, Baricuatro said that it was also the reason why she decided to take the gubernatorial race.

“Because I want to continue our work together,” Baricuatro said.

She will run without a running mate but with the support of Team Rama of former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama.

She said that her vision for Cebu has nothing to do with anyone who pushed her to run, and even Rama who is the vice president of PDP Laban for Visayas.

“Winning will be a bonus. It’s getting the message across that we need change. There has to be a change in leadership and nagkalisod na intawn ang mga tawo sa probinsya (those who are suffering are the people in the province). And I have to get the message across that there is a PR version of Cebu and there is an actual version of Cebu. No matter how strong and powerful a person is. You don’t really know what’s reality,” she said.