HOPE FOR UNITY. Incumbent Governor Gwendolyn Garcia faces the Cebu media after her proclamation as the winner on Tuesday night (May 10, 2022). Garcia said the hope of the Filipinos for unity and continuity in the gains of the Duterte administration resulted in the overwhelming support for the BBM-Sara tandem. (Screengrab from Cebu Capitol PIO video)
CEBU CITY – Reelected Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said the hope of the Filipinos for unity and continuity in the gains of the current administration has resonated throughout the country and became the basis of the overwhelming support for the tandem of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (BBM) and Davao Mayor Sara Duterte.
Garcia told reporters shortly after her proclamation Tuesday night that the “too much polarization, bickering, and fighting” have achieved nothing for the Philippines, stressing that the Marcos-Duterte administration will bring the country to greater heights.
“That is why so many Filipinos, you call them by whatever name, this message resonates because the Filipinos are just asking for hope, are just asking for someone who understands that enough for fighting, enough of deciding on the basis of political color who get the help who would not, that’s enough. Let’s all work together,” Garcia said.
She said the electorates have realized “that it’s only the UniTeam that we can hope that everyone can achieve that dream of lining up ourselves amongst those leading nations in Asia”.
Garcia said the country has been lagging behind other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations due to many partisan conflicts and the practice of politicians changing policies once every after six years.
“We are confused people because every six years we have different policies. I would hope that the BBM-Sara team and I am glad that Filipinos resoundingly chose them, I believe one of the major factors is BBM has always consistently stated that he would continue the programs of President (Rodrigo) Duterte and that’s what we need. We need to build upon the gains of this administration. (Whether) we like it or not, this administration has made major strides in the drug war, everyone has a say about that, that if President Duterte had not become president, we would become another narco-state,” Garcia said.
The governor also cited the successful reforms in the rail transit transport system in Manila as well as the “Build, Build, Build” program that brought the Philippines into the golden age of infrastructure.
“The achievement of the present administration is very clear. (In these) palpable gains of this administration (that) will be built upon the incoming administration. That can only be done through continuity,” she added.
Partial and unofficial results from the Commission on Elections as of 8:02 a.m. on Wednesday showed Marcos garnered in Cebu province a total of 1,055,985 votes against the 391,080 votes for Vice President Leni Robredo.
For vice president, Duterte got 1,258,538 votes while Senate President Vicente Sotto III received 247,093.
“For me, it’s a fulfillment of a promise. No, there was never a bargain set out. It was all about deciding on which candidate embraced the same values that One Cebu (party) embraced, and that’s the value of the UniTeam,” Garcia said.
Duterte’s spokesperson, Liloan Mayor Christina Garcia-Frasco, said the mayor of Davao City who just got elected as vice president is very thankful for the support of her mother, Gov. Garcia.
“I believed that she (Duterte) was confident that Governor Gwen and One Cebu would be able to (fulfill) its commitment to deliver and full support to the UniTeam’s president, Bongbong Marcos, and vice president, Sara Duterte,” she added. (PNA)
