[] In sum, transition work is left almost entirely to the outgoing governor and her people. The task of "ensuring a seamless transition" in Cebu Province is entrusted to those whom the new officials had fought fiercely to kick out.
[] Complicating the apparent shutout of the Baricuatro administration is mutual suspicion, if not enmity, that each political group holds against the other, which has spilled over from the election period, fueled by toxic attacks in the internet.
[] Information the incumbent officials will provide Pam's team before June 30 will be out of courtesy or good grace.
[] DILG rules have limited transition work to the outgoing chief executive. But a DILG official's membership in the transition committee and DILG regional director's overseeing of the transition and his report to DILG secretary are expected to assure observance of the law and rule on transfer of power in an LGU.
[1] CONFUSION OVER TRANSITION. Many of us, including elective public officials and their supporters, have assumed that leaders of both outgoing and incoming administrations in a local government like the Cebu Province can and will work together to have a peaceful and orderly transition.
That does not happen all the time. A classic though rare example is the case of Cebu Province. A "massive upset" in the 2025 elections will replace a political veteran -- five terms or 15 years in the governor's office and two terms or six years in the House -- with a political virgin (zero experience in elective governance) from the Duterte group.
Unlike in most other LGUs where transition has been moving on untroubled waters, it is mostly rough sailing for Pamela Baricuatro, who's seeking anchor at the Capitol held for ages by Gwendolyn Garcia.
Guv-elect Pam and her staff, as victors in a bruising fight -- whose result has not been formally disputed, except for the repetitive assault on credulity: "how? why?" -- they must think they are entitled to a hassle-free transition.
Apparently, they haven't looked at the fine print of DILG's protocol on transition, Memorandum 2025-016 of March 3, 2025, which election stakeholders, including ideally the public, are assumed to know.
[2] DILG RULES DON'T INCLUDE ANY PAM REP. From the DILG memo, one can see that the incoming chief executive of the LGU is not a part of the transition committee, except of course when it's granted access to the committee as courtesy.
Neither Pam nor anyone else representing her is among those enumerated in the DILG memo. Almost all in the list are Capitol "insiders": from outgoing governor as chair to the vice chair elected from among the members; from department heads, down to the head and assistant head of the development and planning office as secretariat.
The only two members from outside Capitol are the DILG provincial director and one member of civil society, whom Guv Gwen picked from the Mandaue City Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Pam has no expressed beef against the business leader but she has implied that DILG is not being neutral and fair.
[3] ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS, DEPARTMENT HEADS. In a letter to DILG, Guv-elect Pam would like quick access to Capitol records and other documents -- preferring a turnover on June 15, instead of June 30 -- and to confer with department heads.
That might be granted, as it is probably practiced in other LGUs going through similar transition, or not. If the transition committee will ultimately reject the request from Pam's group, the LGTT can cite the DILG memo for support.
The same DILG memo makes it appear that only the incumbent officials will do the transition work, including inventory of properties, preservation of records and documents, and turnover of accountabilities.
The said officials are presumed to do the work right and well. The two "outsiders" --- the DILG official and the civic leader -- are expected to see to it that it is done so.
[4] PAM'S COMPLAINT; GWEN'S RESPONSE. Cebu Governor-elect Pam Baricuatro publicly complains that transition work has not progressed as smoothly and quickly as it should. One Pam Baricuatro social media video clip shows her saying, looking directly at Gwen/camera: You're not hurting me, you're hurting the people.
Gwen has already issued an executive order creating a transition team. Pam thinks the transition team is not working. She complains of (a) documents not being turned over, (b) department heads not talking to the Baricuatro camp, and (c) the prospect of the new administration swamped with problems because the preparations are not being done.
Other than the governor's E.O., Gwen has yet, as of this writing, to respond. If silence is part of the means to make Pam sweat, the outgoing chief executive is succeeding.
[5] DILG NOT SPARED. The governor-elect blames mainly the sitting governor. She must suspect that Gwen isn't just trying to embarrass the new governor in her first few days or weeks -- through interrupted or stalled services, including meeting mandatory payables -- but also to prevent or delay efforts to dig up dirt that Pam's team may try to find.
Pam also suspects DILG or Department of the Interior and Local Government of politicking and being lax on its transition work. Baricuatro wrote DILG, through its provincial director, on May 19 to begin transition work already. In news interviews and social media posts, the Baricuatro camp was explicit about its dissatisfaction with the preparations.
[6] MAY 20 CREATION OF TRANSITION TEAM. DILG Memorandum-2025-16 on transition in LGUs, issued March 3, 2025, "encourages" the creation of an LGTT or Local Government Transition Team "at least two months before the end of the term of the current administration," which must date back to sometime during the election season. A preemptive measure, the memo says, suggesting that it's done whether the incumbent officials stay or leave, whether they win or lose, with preparations for the new administration finished before June 30.
Capitol apparently fell short on the required date of creation of the LGTT: Gwen's order was signed May 20, 2025. Still, the same E.O. requires the committee to "complete their tasks before June 30, 2025." Incidentally, no penalty for delay is provided in the memo.
[7] DOES THE DILG TAKE SIDES? Pam Baricuatro suspects that the department does because of the DILG representative's position as vice chairman in LGTT. "By allowing itself" the position in the transition team, Pam was quoted in the news media, it has directly placed DILG "under her (Gwen's) authority." The incoming governor wants DILG to be "independent and above local chief executives to ensure a fair and orderly handover."
Gwen's E.O. of May 20 specified the outgoing vice governor, Hilario Davide III, as her vice chair in LGTT. But Pam, in harping on DILG's alleged partiality, specified the position of vice chair that the DILG rep occupies.
The LGTT, the governor's E.O. says, comprises of, aside from chairperson Gwen and vice chair Davide:
(a) the DILG provincial director (Dr. Jesus Robil Sastrillo); (b) all Capitol department heads, (c) the Provincial Board secretary; and (d) the Mandaue City Chamber of Commerce and Industry president. The secretariat will be the head and assistant head of the Provincial Planning and Development Office.
DILG's memo on transition appears to be followed by the governor's own E.O., except probably on the matter of Davide being vice chair. The DILG memo provides that the members shall elect the vice chair while Gwen's E.O. already names Davide. It's probable that the members ultimately elected Dr. Sastrillo; thus it was DILG's provincial director whom Pam cited in her critique of the department's stance regarding the Province transition.