A NUMBER of social media posts have been caricaturing Cebu Governor Pam Baricuatro for allegedly telling lies, depicting her in AI-generated images as Pinnochio, the 1940 Disney animated film character whose nose would grow longer every time he lies.
An exaggeration obviously, and decidedly mean, especially to supporters of Governor Baricuatro who defeated in the last election heavyweight multiple-termer Gwen Garcia, which the Comelec coincidentally upheld also this week.
Yet the sea ambulance case gives Guv Pam’s political rivals some actual basis for the cruel attack. Capitol was caught literally lying.
SERIES OF POSTS: PR SUCCESS. In a number of news releases in the internet, the Cebu Provincial Government had:
Announced the breakthrough, such as this October 9, 2025 pitch: “Cebu Capitol launches first-ever sea ambulance to boost emergency response.” The PR called it a “landmark initiative,” a “pioneering project,” a “promise-to-reality” accomplishment, and a “reflection of Governor Baricuatro’s priority” on health, safety and livelihood.
Showed, on Baricuatro’s page last November 12, the same ambulance, with the words and seal “Province of Cebu” emblazoned on its side, delivering medicines to Camotes Island.
Hyped up “Cebu’s First Sea Ambulance” with a reel, complete with dialogue and all, about the “milestone in bringing medical response closer to the province’s island towns.”
Inevitably, regular news media picked up the story, along with soc-med sites whose true identity is not disclosed and thus seemingly out of accountability’s zone.
Yet Capitol had scored PR success on the sea ambulance story -- until Tuesday, November 25, 2025 when Dennis Pastor, head of the province disaster risk reduction and management office, and Budget Officer Danilo Rodis told the Cebu Provincial Board the vessel was “only borrowed” and remained “un-procured.”
BETTER END OF THE BARGAIN. To be sure, if the information of Capitol officials Pastor and Rodis would remain un-refuted, Capitol wasn’t getting the short end of the bargain. It was definitely benefiting from the “test run,” “marketing promotion of the supplier,” and absence of liability in case the vessel would figure in an accident.
No commitment to buy yet? Apparently not anything legally enforceable. Yet with all the pre-sale freebies the Provincial Government was getting and the claims of success and accomplishment from Capitol, one couldn’t see it except as a done deal.
HOW COULD VITAL INFO BE SKIPPED? It was an essential part of the story: the “colatilla” that the sea ambulance was still being tested and not yet owned by the Province. Was that detail omitted by failure to communicate or was it done deliberately to make the score of victory heavier?
Whatever the reason, it didn’t show an open and candid policy, especially on an acquisition that involves a lot of money -- P50 million at P25 million each -- and definitely requires transparency on requirements of purchase.
The story could’ve been released without killing forthrightness, by simply telling what’s really going on.
It’s not a total disaster though as it doesn’t make the planned purchase less significant in improving the Capitol’s services, more so to the island residents who must have long wanted and needed it.
No one has disputed the need so far, not even the Provincial Board members who raised the issue, including Celestino Martinez III and Antonio Bacaltos Jr.
SAD YET NOT ODD that news media, regular or un-, wasn’t quick enough to check the facts soon after images of the sea ambulance and the Capitol claims showed up publicly. No journalist checked and verified, was there? It took the live-streaming of the Provincial Board session to expose the big, crucial detail to sunlight: Like, “by the way, Capitol has not bought that sea ambulance yet.”
As before, the PB is still “under-covered” by the media—center of attention had been the office of the governor—a situation that people thought would change, along with the replacement of the chief executive.
A PR specialist asked me Friday, November 28, Would the prying of the PB into executive action have occurred if the governor were not Guv Pam?