Gwen Garcia defends trust funds, slams critics for ‘colored biases’

‘You don’t end programs just because you don’t like them’

Outgoing Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia spoke during the R’ Cebu Trade Fair for the 3rd and 4th Districts on Friday, June 20. | Facebook Live/Sugbo News

CEBU CITY, Philippines – You don’t run for public office just to be called “honorable” or to go viral on TikTok.

This was the stinging message of outgoing Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia as she fired back at critics of her last-minute move to establish trust funds for flagship provincial programs, including her successor, Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro.

Baricuatro earlier vowed to dismantle some of Gwen’s programs specifically those which she called as non-productive for the province.

In her speech during the R’ Cebu Trade Fair for the 3rd and 4th Districts on Friday, June 20, Garcia slammed what she called the “selfish, colored biases” of public officials who reject programs simply because of personal taste.

“You don’t end things just because you don’t like them,” Garcia said in her speech.

“We as chosen leaders have always, always been tasked to rise above our own personal tastes, biases, and interests because the position that was given to you by the people asks of you the responsibility to consider the greater majority than your own selfish, colored biases,” she added.

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Garcia, who lost by over 300,000 votes in the May 2025 polls to Baricuatro, made no mention of her successor by name but alluded heavily to the incoming governor’s earlier pronouncements scrapping initiatives like the Suroy Suroy Sugbo tourism campaign and Pasigarbo sa Sugbo cultural showcase.

“This is not a fashion show or a TikTok show,” she said. “This is not about how many likes or views your reels got. The real world is crisscrossing the entire province of Cebu, reaching the mountain barangays, and actually listening to the Cebuanos.”

Garcia said she has spent the past weeks institutionalizing protection for several Capitol programs by establishing dedicated trust funds. She invoked provisions of the Local Government Code and Commission on Audit (COA) rules to justify the move.

“The past days, I have been putting in place necessary steps, in accordance with the Local Government Code, COA memorandum circulars, and the DILG—steps that would protect flagship programs of the Province of Cebu,” she said.

“With the full support of the Provincial Board for many of these programs, we have put in the necessary protection so that these programs continue.”

Among those covered by the trust funds are:

Suroy Suroy Sugbo, institutionalized in 2012

Sugbo Negosyo and Sugbo Segurado, launched in 2024 for micro-entrepreneurship and health insurance

Sugbo Kahanas, a skills training program

Sugbo Patubig, for waterworks in Carmen and Moalboal

Sugbo Kuryente, an energy initiative in Malapascua

Sugbo Semento, Capitol’s bulk cement purchasing program

Sugbo Sentro, the rebranded Larsian food hub

Also included are funds for the Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board, the Capitol Lot Sales Settlement Account, the 20% Development Fund, and the Reforestation and Watershed Management Fund. The memo also covers tourism ordinances such as regulated canyoneering and river-based adventures in Badian and elsewhere.

The governor told fellow officials that serving the public is not about glamor or ego but about accountability and commitment.

“Kamong mga mayor, nasayod: dunay mga panahon buot ta mupahulay apan duna pay atimanon. Kay ngano bitaw nanagan ta?” she said.

“Nanagan diay ta aron matawag ug ‘honorable’? Nanagan diay tag interviewhon para musikat ta? A public position is a sacred trust from the people, and the voice of the people is the voice of God,” she added.

Garcia also emphasized the gravity of public office.

“It is incumbent upon all who seek a public position to realize that the moment you take your oath—whether as mayor or governor—you have ceased to be an ordinary citizen,” she said. “Labing unang nimong buhaton is tun-an unsay imong responsibilidad sa imong posisyon. Pagtuon usa ka mubuhi ug pulong. That is what I did from the very first time I served in 2004.”

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Garcia’s statements come in the wake of criticism from Baricuatro, who called the creation of trust funds a “blatant abuse of fiscal power” and a “last-minute attempt to manipulate the provincial budget.”

In a June 17 post, Baricuatro said the memorandum could hamper her administration’s plans to reallocate resources toward basic services and development needs.

She said her team would review and, if necessary, revoke the provisions of the memo and take legal action.

“This act of sabotage undermines the trust placed in us by the people of Cebu,” Baricuatro wrote. “We will pursue all legal remedies to ensure that the rule of law prevails and that the province’s resources are used transparently and for the benefit of all Cebuanos.”

The Garcia-Baricuatro transition remains tense, with Garcia also filing an electoral protest before the Commission on Elections, alleging irregularities in over 4,100 clustered precincts.

Baricuatro has asked the Comelec to dismiss the protest, calling it “baseless.”

As Gwen defends trust funds, incoming Capitol officials see it as a move to derail their programs.

Garcia ends her term on June 30. But on Friday, she made clear she would not go quietly, and would defend her legacy to the end.

“Forgetting one’s self for the greater majority—that is how Gwen Garcia has served,” she said.