Garcia expresses full support for Marcos, but remains silent on VP Sara’s fallout

By: Nestlé L. Semilla – 18 minutes ago

CEBU CITY — Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has pledged her full support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. following the rift between the president and Vice President Sara Duterte, whom she and her party supported in 2022.

Garcia made the statement 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, which took place held on Friday at the Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort in Lapu-Lapu City.

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 stand firmly with 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) led by Garcia’s daughter and Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco.

Garcia’s speech was silent on Duterte, who chose 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’ presidential candidacy in 2022, saying that it was the latter who saw that the only way for the country to move forward and to cross boundaries for the greater good was to have 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 driven this island province to achieve great heights of progress and development,” she said.

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