ANOTHER case will be faced by Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro following a complaint filed by Byron Garcia, brother of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia, on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025.
According to the document submitted by Byron on Dec. 15, administrative and criminal cases were filed before the Office of the Ombudsman due to Baricuatro’s alleged violation of Republic Act (RA) 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
This is the fourth case filed by Byron against Baricuatro this year.
The complaint concerns the governor’s alleged delayed submission of the Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2026.
The six-page complaint said that the document stated that the governor’s office only submitted the important budget to the office of Vice Gov. Glenn Soco, through the Provincial Board secretary, on Nov. 7.
Garcia believes that the delay in submitting the proposed budget violated Section 318 of RA 7160 under the Local Government Code of 1991.
Under the rule, the proposed budget must be submitted “not later than Oct. 16.”
This is Byron’s basis for asserting that the current governor should face charges involving grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, abuse of authority, gross incompetence and negligence, conduct unbecoming of a public official and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
“The delayed submission constitutes a ‘clear and blatant violation’ of Section 318 of the Local Government Code, which expressly provides that failure to submit the budget on time may subject the local chief executive to criminal and administrative penalties,” the complaint stated.
It also emphasized the rule of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) that states the deadline and warns of possible sanctions for those who violate it.
According to Byron, the delay allegedly caused “undue injury to the government and the public.”
It should be noted that Byron has already filed three other cases against Baricuatro: one related to the sea ambulance controversy, another concerning a photo of Baricuatro allegedly wearing a Swat uniform and a criminal case related to the renovation of the governor’s office.
The Provincial Capitol previously stated that the delay in submitting the budget was due to the meticulous review conducted by each office to ensure that the consolidated funds for 2026 would match the services required by the public.
As of this writing, Baricuatro has not yet issued a statement regarding the case. / ANV