Pamela to Review Capitol Resources

In a decisive move signaling her administration's commitment to reform, Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro announced sweeping transparency measures yesterday, including full financial and operational audits across Capitol offices and provincial LGUs before her June 30 inauguration.

"We need absolute clarity about our starting position," Baricuatro emphasized during her May 14 interview with ANC's Karen Davila. "This audit isn't about fault-finding—it's about responsible stewardship. My team must know exactly what resources we inherit and what challenges demand immediate attention."

As part of her bold transparency agenda, Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro will prioritize scrutinizing controversial executive orders governing quarry operations, particularly those involving Apo Land and Quarry Corp. (ALQC) in Naga City. While ALQC claimed valid Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) status during its suspension, subsequent investigations now challenge this assertion. Notably, ALQC's Barangay Tinaan site was the tragic location of Cebu's deadly 2018 landslide that claimed over 70 lives. Under outgoing Governor Garcia's administration, ALQC received four cease-and-desist orders (EOs 22, 2, 5, and 13 between December 2024-March 2025), while Solid Earth Development Corp. (SEDC) in San Fernando faced three similar CDOs (EOs 3, 6, and 14).

According to Governor Garcia's March press conference, these actions stemmed from ₱120 million in unpaid provincial taxes and discrepancies in declared limestone extraction volumes – violations supported by drone surveillance and UP Cebu geological studies. Although the Omnibus Election Code prevents Baricuatro from formally exercising oversight before her June 30 inauguration, her transition team is proactively compiling documentation and testimonies to enable immediate action upon taking office. As Baricuatro emphasized to ANC's Karen Davila: "This preparatory work ensures we'll govern with facts, not speculation, from day one."

Ultimately, this pre-term audit initiative sets a new standard for transparent leadership transitions in Cebu's history. Following her decisive electoral victory, Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro has subsequently unveiled an ambitious 100-day agenda targeting Cebu's most pressing challenges. While the province boasts its status as the country's wealthiest, Baricuatro emphasized during her ANC interview with Karen Davila that this prosperity fails to reflect in its healthcare system, where deteriorating hospitals, medicine shortages, and staffing gaps persist—a disconnect she believes contributed to her predecessor's defeat. Meanwhile, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reveals even starker contradictions: despite economic growth, 32.5% of Cebuanos (1.725 million) lived below the poverty line in 2023, with rural areas suffering a 42.4% rate (1.45 million). Notably, a family of five needed ₱14,873–₱14,965 monthly just for basic needs.

To address these dual crises, Baricuatro proposes a two-pronged approach: First, immediate healthcare reforms including hospital upgrades and staffing solutions. Second, economic revival through micro-manufacturing revival—particularly Cebu’s historic small-scale firearms industry—coupled with targeted anti-poverty programs. As she stated, "Our hospitals shame us, and our poverty statistics shock us, but Cebu’s resilience will drive solutions." Ultimately, this plan signals one of Cebu’s most consequential leadership transitions in decades.