Marcos: Gwen Garcia deserves to be treated fairly, with respect

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said Thursday that Cebu Governor Gwendolyn ''Gwen'' Garcia should be accorded due process after the Office of the Ombudsman ordered her preventive suspension.

In a statement, Marcos said he was made aware of the preventive suspension issued against Garcia. He stressed that it is important to uphold the rule of law and the country's due process, especially that the suspension was made more than a week before Eleksyon 2025.

''Let me be clear: in a time like this—so close to the elections—it is vital that we uphold the rule of law and observe due process. Any action that affects the mandate of a duly elected official must go through the proper channels and in accordance with the Constitution and the Omnibus Election Code,'' Marcos said.

He said Garcia has served the Cebu province with strength and consistency.

''Until all legal questions surrounding this suspension are resolved, she deserves to be treated fairly and with the respect owed to her office,'' Marcos said.

''Let us not allow politics to get in the way of public service. We must always be guided by the law, by prudence, and by what is best for the Filipino people,'' he added.

Garcia's One Cebu had endorsed the presidential bid of Marcos in 2022.

The preventive suspension stemmed from a complaint filed by one Moises Garcia Deiparine who accused Garcia of grave abuse of authority, gross misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross negligence, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and violation of Republic Act 6713.

Garcia and her legal team, led by Atty. Rory Jon Sepulveda and Atty. Anthony Avisado, have prepared the legal remedy and a query for clarification sent to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) tasked with implementing the preventive suspension.

Garcia said that she is not stepping down, claiming that the preventive suspension has no basis.

Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, daughter of the governor, highlighted her mother's leadership qualities.

''Hers is a rare kind of leadership—anchored in our culture, unshakably devoted and fiercely loyal to her people, marked by a clarity and decisiveness rare in public life. In challenging moments, when others pause, she acts. When others yield to pressure, she holds the line. There is something enduring about her presence in government—the kind of leadership that defines a generation, and leaves a mark long after the term ends,'' Frasco said in a statement.

''What she has done for Cebu is not only to lead it—it is to unify it. Cebu speaks in one voice because her leadership listens to all. Cebu moves as one because her service reaches everyone,'' she added.

She said Cebu, under her mother's leadership, has shown what is possible when leaders lead with courage and the people move as one.

''Time and again—through crisis, calamity, and challenge—Governor Gwen Garcia has rallied this unity, not by force, but by faith in her people. She has shown that unity is not just a response. It is Cebu’s identity. And it is that same unity that will carry us forward—as a province, and as a nation,'' she said. —AOL/VBL, GMA Integrated News

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