Cebu gov gets TRO to stop suspension; accepts election loss
CEBU CITY—Outgoing Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia will now be able to complete her term in office up to the end of June, after she secured a temporary restraining order (TRO) that stopped the Office of the Ombudsman from carrying out her six-month preventive suspension.
In a resolution dated May 15, the Court of Appeals (CA) Special 17th Division in Manila granted a 60-day TRO that would allow Garcia to officially end her term at noon on June 30 following her stunning defeat to neophyte Pamela Baricuatro in the May 12 elections.
The release of the TRO on Friday coincided Garcia’s first public appearance since her loss to Baricuatro, a retired flight attendant who didn’t have the support of the local mayors, except for some members of the Durano family in Danao City, and only relied on the endorsement of former President Rodrigo Duterte to boost her campaign.
Few attendees
Garcia showed up during the “R’Cebu Bahandi sa Segundo ug Sixto Distrito” exhibitions at the Robinsons Galleria in Cebu City, which showcased products of the localities under the second and sixth districts of the province.
In her speech, she thanked those who stood by her “amidst this seeming defeat.”
Garcia said the R’Cebu Bahandi events were always attended by all mayors and board members from the districts whose products were being showcased.
This time, she noted, only a few came.
In the second district, she pointed out that only three out of seven mayors were there: Allan Sesaldo of Argao, Mayor Monic Buscato of Santander, and Tito Calderon of Samboan—who all won their reelection bids.
She also acknowledged the presence of Board Members Raymond Calderon and Stanley Caminero of the second district.
In the sixth district, present were reelected Mayor Teresa Alegado of Consolacion and her son, Joyjoy Alegado, the town’s vice mayor-elect; and reelected Mayor Cesar Suan of Cordova.
Other officials who came were Boljoon Mayor Jojie Derama, Board Member Glenn Soco, Garcia’s running mate who won in the vice gubernatorial race.
Relief from CA
Before she ended her speech, Garcia announced that the CA issued a TRO to stop Ombudsman Samuel Martires from carrying out her preventive suspension.
“A TRO is hereby issued, effective for 60 days from notice, directing the Office of the Ombudsman, through public respondent Hon. Samuel Martires, to cease from enforcing and implementing the order dated April 23, 2025…, preventively suspending petitioner Gwendolyn Garcia,” said the ruling penned by Associate Justice Marietta Brawner-Cualing.
A notice of the resolution was issued by the CA on May 16.
Garcia thanked the media for attending the event “out of curiosity.” She did not grant interviews and immediately boarded a vehicle after the opening event ended.
The Office of the Ombudsman slapped a six-month preventive suspension against Garcia to pave the way for an investigation into the permit she granted to a construction firm that had no environment clearance for desilting the Mananga River during the prolonged El Niño in 2024.
The issue stemmed from a complaint filed by Moises Deiparine over the special permit the governor issued to Shalom Construction Inc. in May 2024 without the clearances from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources such as the environmental compliance certificate.
Garcia announced on April 30 that she was staying put in office while she seeks clarification from the Department of Interior and Local Government regarding the matter.
Garcia cited the Omnibus Election Code which provides that no preventive suspension order shall be imposed within the 90-day election period, and that any suspension of a local elective official without prior approval of the Commission on Elections shall constitute an election offense. Garcia received the order on April 29, or 13 days before the polls.
