The Soul of the South
By Jacs T. Sampayan
People Asia Magazine 08/05/2006
On her first day in office as governor of the province of Cebu, Gwen Garcia did something that caught the eye of every reporter in the area: She climbed to the top of the Provincial Capitol building. She had heard the complaints about the leaks on the roof and she wanted to check the situation herself.
Ignoring warnings from the provincial engineer, she proceeded upstairs, stopping for a moment to shout at the reporters not to follow her to the roof, as it was dangerous.
"I guess that, in a sense, defined how my administration was going to be," the governor muses.
As the daughter of Pablo Garcia, the outgoing governor, and as the first woman ever to assume the highest position in the province, the 50-year-old Garcia and her victory represent, as pundits say, "a major shift in the political landscape [of Cebu]." A lot of people commented on how the province spelled the difference for President Arroyo's victory at the polls.
The Presidential inauguration was even held at the Capitol, perhaps, to showcase the region as a seat of power. In keeping up with this trend, Garcia came into the Capitol with a mindset for change. With a strong determination and a quick-witted tongue, she whipped her people into shape, discarding and reinventing unproductive systems and practices.
She even remembers a time at the beginning of her term when she got angry with the Capitol employees because they didn't want to stand under the heat of the sun for their weekly Monday flag ceremony.
"When I looked behind me, I saw them inside the building fanning themselves!" She got so angry that she issued a memo saying that 15 minutes before eight in the morning all the doors would be closed and whoever failed to attend the ceremony would be considered absent for that day. Several people muttered to themselves, complaining that they were being treated like grade one pupils.
The governor shot back, "Grade one students are better off. At least they know how to respect the flag!"
When Garcia had her first general assembly with all the employees, she defined her principles of government. "I told them: government is an enterprise. An enterprise demands efficiency. Efficiency translates to good service. And good service redounds to the benefit of our constituents," she finishes. "Therefore I do not ask or need your love but as a governor, I demand your efficiency and professionalism."
The governor also installed cameras all over the Capitol to catch anyone loitering or not doing their job. She also made changes in the employees' appraisal system, prioritizing team rather than individual effort. Elizabeth Francia, who was the governor's classmate from elementary to high school in St. Theresa's and is now her chief of staff, understands her high standards because she understands the governor herself. "She demands a lot from her people because she demands a lot from herself," Francia explains.
The governor first caught the public's eye in 1991, when typhoon Uring brought floods that killed more than 5,000 people in Ormoc City, where she was then residing with her husband's family. With communication lines down and no immediate help in sight, she contacted her family in Cebu through satellite phone. Then Gov. Lito Osmeña was holding a press conference at that moment as Gwen's voice broke through to her brother Winston. She was peppered with questions by the local officials and by the media but handled the situation like a composed veteran.
"On radio, Gwen gave the most precise account of what happened, the most precise description of the situation, and the most precise assessment of what was urgently required. She was so calm and so sensible, you could not help but wonder who this woman could be," commented Freeman writer, Jerry Turidag in his column "To The Quick."
Because of this, Gwen (then Codilla) became a household name among Ormocanos. Her popularity helped her then father-in-law topple a big political name in the next mayoral elections. Even after her father-in-law won, Garcia was called back repeatedly to assist the administration.
"I wanted to go back to my business but they asked me to come and help. I planned the projects from the superdome, the shopping malls, the concreting of the roads and the water systems. I studied the budget. Basically, I learned the ropes of governance there to the last detail," she says. Along the way, she also worked on developing her business, the GGC Group Inc. and was on her way to earning a law degree from U.P. She also raised three children - Paolo, Christina and Carissa.
However, when Garcia's father Pablo was about to enter his third and final term as Cebu governor, he was looking for someone who would help him. Garcia expressed her apprehension because it would mean discontinuing her law studies. A friend, fortunately, helped her make the decision. "I told her, 'But I love law.' She replied, `What? You love law more than your father?' It felt like a punch to the stomach," she recalls. That made her realize what decision she should make.
When her father was about to finish his term, some of the mayors and officials floated the idea of her following in her father's footsteps and running for office. Garcia was again hesitant at first but after pondering and praying about the matter, she decided to go for it.
"This is what I can come up with in my limited understanding of things. We all have purpose. I said if I lose, at least I shall have tried."
She ran against two aggressive opponents - Clavel Martinez and Jun-Jun Osmeña, Sen. Sonny Osmeña's son. The election was heavily fought for and after the final count, less than 8,000 votes separated her from Martinez. The inauguration day was similarly difficult.
"We already knew that I won but there was a proclamation protest that the other camp filed. So I was proclaimed on the afternoon of June 30th and took my oath in the evening. I already said that perhaps this was what I was intended for," she says. "There were many tense moments, actually, before and during the proclamation. There were threats from the other camp marching and all but I was very calm about it. I think the people around me, my parents, our supporters, mayors who came, they were more nervous about it than I was. I had this quiet certainty that the process will fall through and that the chain of events will unfold."
Much of Garcia's earlier hesitation about running came from the worry that she wouldn't be able to live up to her father's reputation. But after talking to another friend, she realized she could carve her own path.
"My father was always very, very patient. He was always very, very kind. Very, very forgiving. So no one was ever punished," she says. "With me, policy is policy." One time a teacher went to the governor asking for a favor. She had just mandated that all public school teachers in Cebu should pass the Department of Education's qualifying exam before they are allowed to continue teaching. The teacher did not want to take the exam and she asked the governor if she could be the exception to the rule. She pleaded and even told the governor that she and her family have been long-time Garcia supporters and that they all voted for her in the last elections. "I told her, 'I'm really sorry. People around here will tell you, if the policy is so, I would never give an exception. You know you can just make it up to me. In the next election, don't vote for me'," she recounts. "It would be difficult [if I gave exceptions]. I'm the leader. I give a policy. I tell them this is our direction. And then I suddenly turn? The people following me will get confused."
At present, Garcia is also the deputy secretary general for Visayas of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), chairman of the board of the Mactan Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB), and a board member of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA). In order to maintain public order and safety in the province, Garcia took on the role of chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), the first woman to be appointed to the position. She has been very active in her role in the council.
In fact, Garcia recently blasted leftists in the recent RPOC meeting, saying that they have gained legal access to government. "Peace talks? No way! All out war!" she declares. Gen. Jovito Palparan even commended her for this via text message, saying that he supports and admires the governor "for her tough and proper stance, which is rare among local executives, against insurgency. I wish others would follow and I look forward to working with her."
Her political rivals have also been pushing for a bill that would break up Cebu into three parts, which she thinks is a self-serving act. "If they want to lead Cebu, they should just run against me," she challenges.
Aside from looking towards next year's elections, Garcia is pretty much focused on the province's immediate future. "I want Cebu to be the tourism and ICT hub of not only this country but of this region. Those are our two areas of focus. I am with the provincial ICT council as well." In its second strategy summit, the council presented an action plan and a timetable pegging it to be accomplished in the next five years. The governor acted in typical fashion. "If this were a 100-meter dash, our neighbors are already at 75 meters while we are still here and you are going to take five years? Cut it to seven months." The council is now aiming that the next summit, an investor's forum, will be held by next year instead.
Within the first 100 days of her term, Garcia also created the Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council to promote tourism and preserve the Cebuano heritage. She also launched the very successful Suroy Suroy Sugbo, a tour package offered to the public wherein they would visit each of Cebu's districts. The officials and people of each district welcome the tourists and showcase the best of their area. The program took off quickly. Garcia remembers how the resort owners of Bantayan Island came to her to complain about their low occupancy. The governor promised them that she would take care of it by having the program's northern tour go all the way up to Bantayan.
"This year, when we were preparing for our tour, I told them to block off their rooms because we were expecting about 100-200 people. They told me, 'I'm sorry, Governor, but we are fully booked.' I told them, 'Do you remember when you were complaining that you hardly had any bookings? Now I am a victim of my own program'!" she recounts.
"I believe that our culture and heritage will exactly be the added attraction that will draw the tourists in because, well, we have beautiful beaches and beautiful natural sights. It's really the culture and the heritage that give people a soul."
And while that is definitely true, Garcia has given Cebu more in her first term as governor. She has not only made the Cebuanos realize their soul, she has given them hope for a better future.
People Asia Magazine 08/05/2006
On her first day in office as governor of the province of Cebu, Gwen Garcia did something that caught the eye of every reporter in the area: She climbed to the top of the Provincial Capitol building. She had heard the complaints about the leaks on the roof and she wanted to check the situation herself.
Ignoring warnings from the provincial engineer, she proceeded upstairs, stopping for a moment to shout at the reporters not to follow her to the roof, as it was dangerous.
"I guess that, in a sense, defined how my administration was going to be," the governor muses.
As the daughter of Pablo Garcia, the outgoing governor, and as the first woman ever to assume the highest position in the province, the 50-year-old Garcia and her victory represent, as pundits say, "a major shift in the political landscape [of Cebu]." A lot of people commented on how the province spelled the difference for President Arroyo's victory at the polls.
The Presidential inauguration was even held at the Capitol, perhaps, to showcase the region as a seat of power. In keeping up with this trend, Garcia came into the Capitol with a mindset for change. With a strong determination and a quick-witted tongue, she whipped her people into shape, discarding and reinventing unproductive systems and practices.
She even remembers a time at the beginning of her term when she got angry with the Capitol employees because they didn't want to stand under the heat of the sun for their weekly Monday flag ceremony.
"When I looked behind me, I saw them inside the building fanning themselves!" She got so angry that she issued a memo saying that 15 minutes before eight in the morning all the doors would be closed and whoever failed to attend the ceremony would be considered absent for that day. Several people muttered to themselves, complaining that they were being treated like grade one pupils.
The governor shot back, "Grade one students are better off. At least they know how to respect the flag!"
When Garcia had her first general assembly with all the employees, she defined her principles of government. "I told them: government is an enterprise. An enterprise demands efficiency. Efficiency translates to good service. And good service redounds to the benefit of our constituents," she finishes. "Therefore I do not ask or need your love but as a governor, I demand your efficiency and professionalism."
The governor also installed cameras all over the Capitol to catch anyone loitering or not doing their job. She also made changes in the employees' appraisal system, prioritizing team rather than individual effort. Elizabeth Francia, who was the governor's classmate from elementary to high school in St. Theresa's and is now her chief of staff, understands her high standards because she understands the governor herself. "She demands a lot from her people because she demands a lot from herself," Francia explains.
The governor first caught the public's eye in 1991, when typhoon Uring brought floods that killed more than 5,000 people in Ormoc City, where she was then residing with her husband's family. With communication lines down and no immediate help in sight, she contacted her family in Cebu through satellite phone. Then Gov. Lito Osmeña was holding a press conference at that moment as Gwen's voice broke through to her brother Winston. She was peppered with questions by the local officials and by the media but handled the situation like a composed veteran.
"On radio, Gwen gave the most precise account of what happened, the most precise description of the situation, and the most precise assessment of what was urgently required. She was so calm and so sensible, you could not help but wonder who this woman could be," commented Freeman writer, Jerry Turidag in his column "To The Quick."
Because of this, Gwen (then Codilla) became a household name among Ormocanos. Her popularity helped her then father-in-law topple a big political name in the next mayoral elections. Even after her father-in-law won, Garcia was called back repeatedly to assist the administration.
"I wanted to go back to my business but they asked me to come and help. I planned the projects from the superdome, the shopping malls, the concreting of the roads and the water systems. I studied the budget. Basically, I learned the ropes of governance there to the last detail," she says. Along the way, she also worked on developing her business, the GGC Group Inc. and was on her way to earning a law degree from U.P. She also raised three children - Paolo, Christina and Carissa.
However, when Garcia's father Pablo was about to enter his third and final term as Cebu governor, he was looking for someone who would help him. Garcia expressed her apprehension because it would mean discontinuing her law studies. A friend, fortunately, helped her make the decision. "I told her, 'But I love law.' She replied, `What? You love law more than your father?' It felt like a punch to the stomach," she recalls. That made her realize what decision she should make.
When her father was about to finish his term, some of the mayors and officials floated the idea of her following in her father's footsteps and running for office. Garcia was again hesitant at first but after pondering and praying about the matter, she decided to go for it.
"This is what I can come up with in my limited understanding of things. We all have purpose. I said if I lose, at least I shall have tried."
She ran against two aggressive opponents - Clavel Martinez and Jun-Jun Osmeña, Sen. Sonny Osmeña's son. The election was heavily fought for and after the final count, less than 8,000 votes separated her from Martinez. The inauguration day was similarly difficult.
"We already knew that I won but there was a proclamation protest that the other camp filed. So I was proclaimed on the afternoon of June 30th and took my oath in the evening. I already said that perhaps this was what I was intended for," she says. "There were many tense moments, actually, before and during the proclamation. There were threats from the other camp marching and all but I was very calm about it. I think the people around me, my parents, our supporters, mayors who came, they were more nervous about it than I was. I had this quiet certainty that the process will fall through and that the chain of events will unfold."
Much of Garcia's earlier hesitation about running came from the worry that she wouldn't be able to live up to her father's reputation. But after talking to another friend, she realized she could carve her own path.
"My father was always very, very patient. He was always very, very kind. Very, very forgiving. So no one was ever punished," she says. "With me, policy is policy." One time a teacher went to the governor asking for a favor. She had just mandated that all public school teachers in Cebu should pass the Department of Education's qualifying exam before they are allowed to continue teaching. The teacher did not want to take the exam and she asked the governor if she could be the exception to the rule. She pleaded and even told the governor that she and her family have been long-time Garcia supporters and that they all voted for her in the last elections. "I told her, 'I'm really sorry. People around here will tell you, if the policy is so, I would never give an exception. You know you can just make it up to me. In the next election, don't vote for me'," she recounts. "It would be difficult [if I gave exceptions]. I'm the leader. I give a policy. I tell them this is our direction. And then I suddenly turn? The people following me will get confused."
At present, Garcia is also the deputy secretary general for Visayas of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), chairman of the board of the Mactan Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB), and a board member of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA). In order to maintain public order and safety in the province, Garcia took on the role of chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), the first woman to be appointed to the position. She has been very active in her role in the council.
In fact, Garcia recently blasted leftists in the recent RPOC meeting, saying that they have gained legal access to government. "Peace talks? No way! All out war!" she declares. Gen. Jovito Palparan even commended her for this via text message, saying that he supports and admires the governor "for her tough and proper stance, which is rare among local executives, against insurgency. I wish others would follow and I look forward to working with her."
Her political rivals have also been pushing for a bill that would break up Cebu into three parts, which she thinks is a self-serving act. "If they want to lead Cebu, they should just run against me," she challenges.
Aside from looking towards next year's elections, Garcia is pretty much focused on the province's immediate future. "I want Cebu to be the tourism and ICT hub of not only this country but of this region. Those are our two areas of focus. I am with the provincial ICT council as well." In its second strategy summit, the council presented an action plan and a timetable pegging it to be accomplished in the next five years. The governor acted in typical fashion. "If this were a 100-meter dash, our neighbors are already at 75 meters while we are still here and you are going to take five years? Cut it to seven months." The council is now aiming that the next summit, an investor's forum, will be held by next year instead.
Within the first 100 days of her term, Garcia also created the Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council to promote tourism and preserve the Cebuano heritage. She also launched the very successful Suroy Suroy Sugbo, a tour package offered to the public wherein they would visit each of Cebu's districts. The officials and people of each district welcome the tourists and showcase the best of their area. The program took off quickly. Garcia remembers how the resort owners of Bantayan Island came to her to complain about their low occupancy. The governor promised them that she would take care of it by having the program's northern tour go all the way up to Bantayan.
"This year, when we were preparing for our tour, I told them to block off their rooms because we were expecting about 100-200 people. They told me, 'I'm sorry, Governor, but we are fully booked.' I told them, 'Do you remember when you were complaining that you hardly had any bookings? Now I am a victim of my own program'!" she recounts.
"I believe that our culture and heritage will exactly be the added attraction that will draw the tourists in because, well, we have beautiful beaches and beautiful natural sights. It's really the culture and the heritage that give people a soul."
And while that is definitely true, Garcia has given Cebu more in her first term as governor. She has not only made the Cebuanos realize their soul, she has given them hope for a better future.
posted by eager2wander at 5:22 AM
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