Rate your candidate with these 13 questions

Has your candidate ever been involved in corruption or misuse of public funds?

(2) Is s/he free from any criminal conviction or pending case involving graft, plunder, abuse of power or moral turpitude?

(3) Has s/he ever been involved in extramarital affairs, cohabitation or habitual unfaithfulness?

(4) Is s/he not a political butterfly who frequently switches parties or loyalties for self-interest?

(5) Does s/he uphold human rights and the rule of law?

(6) Does s/he reject vote buying, political patronage and dynasties?

(7) Has s/he consistently filed complete and accurate Statements of Assets Liabilities and Net Worth?

(8) Does s/he advocate transparency, accountability and freedom of information?

(9) Has s/he supported laws or programs that benefit ordinary Filipinos in education, health, labor or agriculture?

(10) Is s/he known for humility, compassion and self-discipline?

(11) Does s/he engage with citizens and communities?

(12) Did s/he show leadership, competence, integrity in past roles?

(13) Does s/he support reforms in governance, justice, elections?

The more checks, the more reason to vote for your candidate.

If more Xs, think twice.

Your vote shapes the nation.

(Courtesy of Alyansa ng Nagkaka-Isang Mamamayan)

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Three weeks since her suspension from office, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia continues to disobey the ombudsman. This is the second time she is resisting higher authority.

Ombudsman Samuel Martires ordered Garcia’s six-month preventive suspension on April 23. It arose from a complaint that she contracted out a river desilting project without environmental compliance certificate.

The suspension is to avert destruction of documents or influencing of witnesses. The complaint is for grave abuse of authority, gross misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross negligence and conduct prejudicial to the service under the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials.

In December 2012, Garcia also defied her six-month suspension by president Noynoy Aquino for usurpation of authority.

Then vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. (now deceased) filed the case after Garcia slashed his budget in order to hire employees and consultants.

Garcia is known for feistiness. Only last month she called Sen. Raffy Tulfo “ignorant of the law.” That was after Tulfo criticized the provincial government-run Cebu North Bus Terminal for charging users of its public toilets.

This week, Tulfo retorted that RA 11311 of 2019 requires land, sea and air transport terminals to provide free sanitary facilities, including running water, flush toilets, diaper changing tables and breastfeeding lounges. Only for premium services, like air conditioning and valets, may terminals collect fees.

In July 2023, Garcia also twitted critics of her daughter Tourism Sec. Christina Garcia-Frasco. The latter was under public fire for using stock video footages of other countries’ scenic spots for her “Love the Philippines” campaign.

The present ombudsman case was filed by Moises Garcia Deiparine. The complainant alleged that the governor issued a special permit to Shalom Construction in May 2024 “without an ECC nor a Certificate of Non-Coverage from DENR, or prior study/consultation with other relevant government agencies.”

Garcia is also being linked to a quarrier and its private contractor, both of which figured in the 2018 landslide in Naga town. The 1.3-kilometer catastrophe covered 80 hectares and buried alive a nearby community.

Quarrying is forbidden near residential areas. But the contractor is reportedly owned by a judiciary bigwig with a strong political backer.

Garcia replied to the ombudsman via Cebu Province and Sugbo News, provincial capitol official portals:

“The issuance of the Special Permit in question was driven solely by urgent need to address the critical water shortage that had severely affected the entire franchise area of Metropolitan Cebu Water District, which includes Cebu City and seven other local government units.

“All decisions were undertaken in close collaboration with the affected LGUs, as well as government agencies tasked to regulate environmental matters – DENR, Environmental Management Bureau, Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

“This action was carried out with proper approval of the Provincial Board, which earlier declared Cebu Province under a state of calamity due to acute water shortage. Only by desilting the Mananga River could the situation be immediately alleviated and the water crisis addressed.”

Garcia, who’s running for reelection on May 12, linked the complaint to politics. She said Deiparine is “founder of the Duterte Riders Team and is openly affiliated with partisan groups.”

Garcia used to support president Rody Duterte; her daughter Frasco was VP Sara Duterte’s 2022 campaign spokesperson. In June 2022, mother and daughter switched to President Bongbong Marcos.

On May 2nd, Ombudsman Martires advised Garcia to respond to the case with a counter-affidavit: “It should be clear by now to [her] and to everyone that the preventive suspension is … in relation to a criminal case.”

He earlier remarked he was “not surprised” with Garcia’s defiance “as she had done so before.”

In 2013, Garcia disregarded the advice of PNP Central Visayas Gen. Marcelo Garbo to give way to Malacañang’s designated acting governor Agnes Magpale. She also accused then-Interior secretary Mar Roxas of plotting to forcibly evict her from the capitol, which the latter laughed off.

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