Pamela Baricuatro: From civic leader to Cebu governor-elect

Pamela “Pam” Baricuatro (center), a political neophyte, is officially proclaimed winner of Cebu’s gubernatorial race by the provincial board of canvassers on Tuesday afternoon at the Cebu provincial Capitol, defeating reelectionist Gov. Gwendolyn “Gwen” Garcia. | CDN Digital File Photo

CEBU, Philippines — For Pamela Silagan Baricuatro, her stunning victory in the 2025 gubernatorial race was never part of the plan, but perhaps, she says, it was destiny.

“You know, I never expected that this would happen to me,” the 58-year-old governor-elect said during a media forum on May 20.

“But something I can tell you — this is my guess… my fortune was foretold. Maybe it’s already destiny. I don’t know,” she added.

READ: Pam Baricuatro is governor-elect of Cebu

Baricuatro recalled a decades-old encounter while working as a senior flight purser at Cathay Pacific Airways, where she served for 27 years. She was approached mid-flight by a fortune teller who made a bold prediction.

“Ingon siya, ‘In one day, you’re going to be a madame,’” she recalled. At the time, she laughed it off.

(She said, ‘In one day you’re going to be a madame.).

“So I said, maybe maminyo ko’g politician (So, I said, maybe maminyo kog politician). I don’t know. That’s just something I kept at the back of my mind,” Baricuatro shared.

But what seemed like a fleeting encounter would eventually take on new meaning, especially after her unexpected entry into politics.

Originally set to run as representative of Cebu’s 3rd District, Baricuatro later substituted for Dr. Rowena Burden as gubernatorial candidate under Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), the party of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Her last-minute candidacy mounted what would become one of the most dramatic upsets in Cebu’s recent political history.

“You make me think — you know, life is full of surprises, gyud no (really),” she said. “At first, I wanted to do public service through my foundation. But, you know, things happen now. So maybe this is destiny calling. I don’t know.”

Baricuatro is the founder and executive director of the Simply Share Foundation, which has fed over a million Cebuano children and responded to calamities across the province.

The organization also established the first food bank in the Visayas and Mindanao, which became a member of the Global Foodbanking Network.

Her civic leadership is further demonstrated through her work as national board director for LBP Resources and Development Corporation, a post she was appointed to during the Duterte administration, and as head of Hakbang ng Maisug-Cebu, a grassroots movement advocating for transparency, social justice, and community empowerment.

“My passion has always been in helping people. Before politics, that was my way of serving,” she said.

Baricuatro’s academic credentials reflect a foundation in public policy and leadership. She earned a degree in political science from the University of San Carlos, completed three years of law studies at the University of the Visayas, and later took part in executive education programs on strategy and governance at the City University of Hong Kong and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

“I took up Political Science. I took up Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School. That’s something I’m prepared for,” she said.

“But the position… in Harvard, they always teach you that leadership is about action. It’s not about position. So it never really was my desire to become governor,” she added.

Nonetheless, her campaign capitalized on a message of responsive, proactive, and people-centered leadership.

Baricuatro ran on a platform of inclusive development, grassroots empowerment, and transparent governance, values she says were shaped by her long years of work outside politics.

“I believe Cebu needs a government that listens. A government that acts. A government that understands its people,” she said.