It was truly a festive day for Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia and her One Cebu team of elected provincial officials when they had their oathtaking ceremony and thanksgiving celebration at Marco Polo Plaza. The festivities started out with an afternoon mass officiated by Msgr. Roberto Alesna at the hotel lobby and then went on to a lovely evening of camaraderie at the Grand Ballroom for the program and the oath-taking ceremony.

President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice-President-elect Sara Duterte Carpio honored our beloved governor and her team with their presence and during their brief speeches, expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support they got from the Cebuanos. Also in gracious attendance were newly elected Sen. Mark Villar, incoming Speaker of the house Rep. Martin Romualdez, former Davao Rep. Anton Lagdameo who has been named Special Assistant to the President, former Cabinet Secretaries Harry Roque and Salvador Panelo, and Justice Geraldine Econg who administered the oath of office to all the elected provincial officials. Completing the presidential table were Rep. Pablo John Garcia, incoming DOT Secretary Christina Frasco and Rep. Duke Frasco.

In her inaugural address, Governor Gwen traced her journey from her first term as governor of Cebu to her fifth term today. It was a challenging climb but with her grit and determination (Buhat ang pasultihon, dili sulti ang pabuhaton), she has brought our beloved province to unprecedented heights and is lauded as the best performing governor in the country. She is most proud of having stopped the Sugbuak move (the attempt to divide Cebu into four provinces) with her “One Cebu” advocacy. And thus the One Cebu party was born.

Cheers to Gov. Gwen and to One Cebu!