FORMER Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia alleged that a Cebu official received an armored vehicle from Allan Quirante, owner of QM Builders, a contractor awarded numerous flood control projects nationwide from 2022 to 2025.
In a press conference on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, Garcia denied having personal ties to Quirante. She did not name the official she claimed received the “bulletproof gray Land Cruiser.”
“But kaning magsige og link naku, sige gyud og insister, pangutan-a kuno kinsay nihatag anang iyang grey nga land cruiser,” Garcia said. She added, “Ako, wa may muhatag og land cruiser naku nga bullet proof color grey.”
(“This person who keeps on linking me — ask her who gave her that gray Land Cruiser. As for me, no one would give me a bulletproof, gray-colored Land Cruiser.”)
Her remarks came amid rumors of her alleged connections to contractors facing scrutiny for corruption in flood control projects.
On Aug. 22, Governor Pamela Baricuatro suspended 154 infrastructure projects for review, including two in Alegria and Malabuyoc awarded to SBK Construction Inc. Joint Venture, in partnership with St. Gerard Construction of the Discaya family.
Joe Kenneth Kwan Arbas of SBK said their Category B license was insufficient for a P100-million project, so they partnered with St. Gerard on the Bids and Awards Committee’s recommendation. He clarified that St. Gerard only provided technical staff and later withdrew.
Garcia denied ties to the Discaya family or to QM Builders, stressing that Quirante never received a single project from the Provincial Government under her watch.
“Wa, way singko nga project na si Quirante. Mao lage i-review lang gyud unta ang records, the records will speak,” Garcia said.
(“No, Quirante has not handled a single project. That’s why the records should really be reviewed — the records will speak for themselves.”)
She also cited the billion-peso Metro Cebu Expressway in Naga City, built by the Department of Public Works and Highways, which collapsed and became unusable. Garcia halted the project in October 2023 after a landslide revealed it lacked an Environmental Compliance Certificate.
Garcia further accused QM Builders of failing to pay quarry permit fees. She claimed the firm extracted over 100,000 cubic meters of soil for projects, including the collapsed expressway, without permits, leaving millions unpaid to the province.
She added that she declined Quirante’s invitation to his son’s wedding, calling it improper given the company’s unpaid obligations. Garcia said the debt remains unsettled. / CDF