Gwen Garcia sets up transition team for Baricuatro’s takeover

Outgoing Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia is personally leading the province’s transition team to ensure a smooth and orderly turnover of power to the incoming administration following the May 2025 elections. | Sugbo News via Pinky Rondina

CEBU, Philippines — Outgoing Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia is taking the helm of the province’s transition process, personally leading the team that will oversee the handover of power to the incoming administration following the 2025 elections.

Garcia signed Executive Order No. 16 on May 20, formally creating the Local Governance Transition Team (LGTT) for the Province of Cebu.

She designated herself as chairperson of the team, which will guide the orderly turnover of duties, records, and assets to Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro.

READ: Governor Garcia sees suspension as a tactic to end her term early

The order complies with a directive from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), requiring all local government units to form their respective transition bodies.

The DILG mandates that these teams ensure the smooth continuity of public services, safeguard government assets, and prepare essential reports and documents for the next administration.

The LGTT, according to the EO, will conduct a comprehensive inventory of all movable and immovable assets of the provincial government, including buildings, equipment, and office supplies, and collect key documents such as financial records, development plans, and procurement data.

The transition team is also tasked with preparing a Final Transition Report (FTR) that will outline the accomplishments, ongoing projects, institutional challenges, and policy recommendations for the incoming administration.

READ: Cebu gov gets TRO to stop suspension; accepts election loss

The report will be submitted to the DILG through the Bureau of Local Government Supervision.

Vice Governor Hilario Davide III has been named vice chairperson of the LGTT. Other members include: Dr. Jesus Robel Sastrillo, DILG Provincial Director; Atty. Pulchra Marie Acevedo, Sangguniang Panlalawigan Secretary; Mark Anthony Ynoc, President of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The team’s secretariat will be led by Nerces Bispo, head of the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), with Assistant Department Head June Ilyn Terado.

A formal turnover ceremony is set for June 30, coinciding with the official start of the new administration.

Governor-elect Baricuatro, for her part, formed her own transition team a day earlier, on May 19.

The DILG emphasized that the transition process must follow national protocols, which prohibit outgoing officials from making last-minute appointments, personnel movements, or launching new programs during the transition period without appropriate clearance.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) also enforces restrictions in line with the election code to prevent the misuse of public resources. /clorenciana