Cebu governor expresses support for Marcos, but remains silent on Vice President Sara

CEBU CITY — Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia declared her full support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. following the dissolution of the UniTeam of the country’s Chief Executive and Vice President Sara Duterte, whom she and his party supported in 2022.

The statement was made during the 36th joint meeting of the United Nations Tourism Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the United Nations Tourism Commission for South Asia at the Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort in Lapu-Lapu City on Friday.

In her welcoming speech, Garcia, who heads the dominant political party in Cebu, said she and her allies have resolved to continue supporting Mr. Marcos as the country prepares for midterm elections next year.

“And as we did in 2022, Mr. President, we strongly support you and fully support the man who called for unity. Here we are one island, one province and one Cebu,” she said.

READ: Sara Duterte resigns as DepEd secretary, Palace says

Mr. Marcos, who was also on stage, beamed as Garcia spoke.

The President was the guest of honor at the event organized by the province of Cebu and the Department of Tourism (DOT) headed by Garcia’s daughter and Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco.

Garcia’s speech was silent on Duterte choosing Frasco as his spokesperson in the 2022 elections.

The Inquirer sent a text message to Garcia on Friday asking whether she and her party continued to support Duterte who resigned from the Cabinet following a fallout with Mr. Marcos.

As of Saturday, the governor had not responded.

In the 2022 elections, Mr. Marcos won more than 1.5 million votes in Cebu, which Garcia said was “the highest number of votes ever recorded compared to any other place in the country.”

In her speech, the governor recalled that her party One Cebu had given its full support to Mr. Marcos’s candidacy for the 2022 presidential election, saying it was the latter who saw that the only way for the country to move forward and transcend borders for the greater good was through unity.

“Our political leaders and the people of Cebu took a chance on the man who called for unity. Well, Mr. President, may I now say that the unity we demonstrated during this historic 2022 election is now stronger than ever right here on this island of Cebu,” she added.

According to the governor, “unity” has been tested and proven in Cebu.

“There is an extraordinary unity that has allowed this island province to reach great heights of progress and development,” she said.