ends Monday, June 30 but may not terminate Gwen-Pam hostilities. There’s Gwen’s election protest -- and prospect of the supposedly departing governor not totally gone as she reportedly will hold office at Capitol as vice-governor’s adviser.
Attack, counter-attack: missiles keep flying
Gwen Garcia-Pam Baricuatro “hate-fest,” which the election campaign fueled and the result “kabooming” the political scene.
Gwen, not exactly the “gracious loser” and used to shooting war, filed a protest and publicly assailed the results. Pam, not exactly the “magnanimous” winner but not wanting to be a wimp, kept her anti-missiles flying. Word war has gone on, sharpened by infuriating images in social media that repeat diatribes unleashed during the campaign.
DILG rule and role enabled Gwen to control transition
DILG memo 2025-016 of March 1, 2025 orders that the transition team comprise of the sitting chief executive, with mostly department heads and other LGUs insiders as members. No rep from the incoming governor. The “neutral” members are only the DILG provincial director and a member of civil society whom the incumbent governor picked.
Pam has asked for turnover of documents and access to information before June 30, has been denied, the transition committee not being required by regulation to do so.
Clearly the law and DILG rules and enforcement are a lot to blame. The procedure assumes that the losing party would be cooperative, amiable and all. DILG’s rep in the committee and the civil sector rep may have wanted Pam’s group to work with them on the transition but have been silent or overruled.
Transition system works for most other LGUs. They may want to know what went wrong here.
Other local governments, particularly in places where the election fight was bitter and fierce, also have transition blues. Maybe not as spectacular as Cebu Capitol’s. Cebu Province, the country’s richest province, with a feisty governor, has regularly drawn national interest. This time, the Pam-Gwen transition controversy easily tops similar post-election conflicts across the country.
Of course, the personalities involved have a lot to do with the noise and attention the dispute has received.
Gwen, known for standing and speaking out, has done so on an issue both personal and public: her passion to add three more years to her five-term stint as governor. Despite the results, she must think there’s no worthier cause to wage. Pam, a newbie cautioned by many she couldn’t win, found the election an adventure. After winning, it must be more fun to keep on being combative, defending what she won and keeping the enemy down. And all the public interest in her is undoubtedly exhilarating; she hadn’t been on stage before like this.
Alex Eala handles winning and losing quite adorably.
Alexandra Eala, 20, is the first Filipina ever to reach a World Tennis Association final. Runner-up at the WTA 250 Eastbourne Open, she may yet break more barriers.
Meantime, she looks and sounds adorable after victory or defeat. Watch her, if you haven’t.
Did you know Alex is a gender-neutral name of Greek origin meaning “defender of humankind”? From the Greek “alexein” meaning “to defend” or “to protect.”