Pam Baricuatro has large shoes to fill in former governor Gwendolyn Garcia. Not only is Gwen a long-time governor, she also delivered on some projects although she failed in some others. In my home place, the Camotes group of islands, for example, her infrastructure projects stood out. The long-neglected roads and bridges were given attention and this was probably among the reasons why Gwen won in Camotes in the last elections.
Infra projects are always reliable allies of officials running for reelection because projects like roads and bridges are easily visible. I remember the late former governor Vicente de la Serna spending money on cooperative development instead of on building roads and bridges in the province. The money was well spent but was not easily visible. I say that this partly contributed to his undoing when he sought another term.
Baricuatro is currently being surrounded by well-meaning people, some of whom like Ace Durano are well-meaning. I was with my friend, the late Anol Mongaya, when Ace made the decision to run for governor against Gwen years ago. This column is not about Anol though and of how the Durano campaign was run then, but I did see Ace’s reluctance to run against Gwen and one of the things he considered was whether or not it would be better for the province’s constituents to let her continue as governor.
That showed me that Ace was not that hungry for power but was more focused on how to make the lives of the provincial constituents better. That is the reason why I find Ace to be a good complement to Baricuatro in running the province. Pam needs a veteran to guide her both in politics and in governance and I see Ace providing her with that veteran guidance. And she needs to trust him because this young Durano not only has the experience in politics and governance but is also well-intentioned. Much of his life was spent in the United States, the home of liberal democracy in the world, even if his family has long controlled Danao City politically. He can shield Baricuatro from the political intrigues that come with winning against a well-entrenched political clan in the Garcias.
Of course, the provincial constituents expect many things from Baricuatro. I have long been an advocate for giving attention to the province’s district hospitals that Garcia largely neglected because her focus was on the other aspects of governance. Basic services are what Cebu Province needs, not “Suroy Suroy” or other grandiose events. On this, I could never forget the wife of my cousin who died in Tudela town during pregnancy while she was transported to the district hospital in San Francisco town several kilometers away. There are many stories about islanders not being given adequate medical help because this can only be had in Cebu City at a high cost.
I know that Baricuatro’s heart and the hearts of the people now surrounding her are in the right place. They just have to show that they can make a difference as far as serving the provincial constituents is concerned,