2. Gwendolyn Garcia
• Gwendolyn Fiel Garcia (born October 12, 1955) is
a Filipina politician serving as the governor of Cebu since 2019, a
position she previously held from 2004 and 2013—being the first
woman to hold that office. She was the representative of Cebu's
3rd congressional district from 2013 to 2019 and concurrently
served as a House Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2018.
• From December 2012 to June 2013, Garcia was suspended by
the Office of the President following her conviction of graft by
the Sandiganbayan.
3. Personal life
• Garcia was born on October 12, 1955. She is the eldest daughter
of former Cebu Governor and House Deputy Speaker Pablo P.
Garcia (1925–2021) and Judge Esperanza "Inday" Fiel García
(1931–2016).[citation needed]. Founder of CFI Coop.
• Her youngest brother, Pablo John Garcia, is a lawyer-
congressman.[
4. • Another brother, Byron Garcia, has been a security consultant for
the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC),
which caught global attention in 2007 for its rendition of Michael
Jackson's "Thriller" featuring its inmates.[citation needed]
• Another brother, Winston Garcia, is the former general manager of
the Government Service Insurance System (Philippines).[
5. • Another brother, Marlon Garcia, is currently the Mayor of
the Municipality of Barili, Cebu.[citation needed]
• Gwendolyn Garcia was previously married to Eufrocino "Winnie"
Codilla Jr., the son of former Representative Eufrocino Codilla
Sr., Leyte's 4th congressional district.[5] She has three children
including Christina Frasco.
6. Education and career
• Garcia studied at Cebu's St. Theresa's College. She earned her
Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Communication from
the University of the Philippines Diliman and studied law at the
same university. She was awarded with the honorary degrees of
Doctor of Humanities from Cebu Normal University (CNU) and
Doctor of Philosophy in Technology Management from Cebu State
College of Science and Technology (CSCST).
7. • Prior to being elected as governor, she was responsible for
instituting various reforms at the Cebu Provincial Capitol as a
Consultant on Systems Promotion and Development for three
years. Earlier, she was Consultant on Financial Affairs and assisted
her father in expanding the province's resources.
8. • She was active in the private sector as chairperson of the Leyte
Cooperative Bank from 1996 to 1998. She is, since 1998, the president
and CEO of the GGC Group, Inc.
• She is the head of the Regional Development Council, the Regional
Peace and Order Council, and chairman of the Visayas RDCom
(comprising RDC 6, RDC 7 and RDC 8), 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 member of the board of the Mactan Cebu International Airport
Authority (MCIAA).
9. Political career
• Garcia first entered politics in 2004, when she was elected as
governor by 7,000 votes to succeed her father. Three years later, in
2007, she was reelected overwhelmingly, obtaining a lead of
500,000 votes. In 2010, she defeated Hilario Davide III, son of
former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr., for a third and final term by
almost 100,000 votes.
10. • Garcia is locally dubbed as the "So-called Iron Lady of Cebu" or the "Iron Lady of
Southern Philippines" after preserving the territorial integrity of Cebu and putting
the province back as the richest province in the country.[8]
• During her three terms, Gov. Garcia claimed to have pursued a 12-point agenda
for her administration, implementing economically viable development programs
that effectively responded to the needs of the Cebuano constituency – in
infrastructure, water, power, health, education, agriculture and food production,
women and children, business, tourism and the environment. This, later on,
became her 12-point plus 2 agenda of the government, with the inclusion of an
enhanced information and communication portfolio that showcase the Province
of Cebu and strong international relations aimed at creating beneficial linkages
with the global community.
11. • She publicly declared an all-out war against a communist
insurgency and proceeded to put in place measures to achieve
such end, resulting in the declaration of Cebu as an insurgency-
free zone. The anti-criminality task forces of the Province bring to
justice perpetrators of illegal fishing, those involved in the illegal
drug trade and in human trafficking.
• Garcia was elected as the representative of the third congressional
district on May 13, 2013, over Pinamungahan Mayor Geraldine
Yapha.
12. • On February 12, 2018, the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed her
from service for grave misconduct in connection with the purchase
of a sprawling property underwater for close to P100 million.
However, on April 23, 2014, the Court of Appeals (CA) Special 18th
Division in Cebu City cleared Garcia of grave misconduct over the
same case.
13. • During the 2019 Philippine election, Gwen Garcia running under
the banner of PDP-Laban / One Cebu Party coalition, won
against NPC candidate Agnes Magpale as Governor of Cebu
Province. Her brother Pablo John Garcia won the seat she vacated
– the third congressional district of Cebu of the House of
Representatives.
