𝐆𝐎𝐕. 𝐏𝐀𝐌’𝐒 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄: 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄, 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓-𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐃, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐑
With the change in leadership at the Cebu Provincial Government following the historic May 2025 elections came a shift in how the Capitol is run — marked by openness, inclusivity, and a departure from rigid control.
Healthcare and disaster preparedness are among the administration’s top priorities, while the Capitol has once again opened its doors to Cebuanos from all walks of life — whether to transact business, avail themselves of services, or book the use of its facilities.
At the center of these changes is neophyte Governor Pamela Baricuatro.
Speaking on the Capitol talk show “iStorya Cebu” on January 9, Gov. Baricuatro described her leadership style as one grounded in trust, inclusivity, and empowerment of department heads and local leaders.
“One thing I hate is egocentric leadership,” Gov. Baricuatro said during the talk show streamed live on the Cebu Province Facebook page.
The governor said this philosophy was shaped during her Public Leadership studies at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in the United States, where she focused on governance strategies, leadership decision-making, and diversity management.
She has been candid in admitting that her role does not require her to be the expert in all matters, stressing that she regularly seeks guidance from national government agencies, local government units, and the private sector before making key decisions.
“You guys are the expert in your fields. Even the mayors; they are the ones that know their municipalities. And if I keep controlling it, what good will it do to them?,” she said.
Gov. Baricuatro said trust is essential in leadership, noting that there is little value in surrounding herself with department heads if she does not allow them to do their jobs.
“If I cannot trust you enough, let’s not work together na lang. So there has to be an element of trust gyud in leadership,” she said. “Very simple ra man ang akong leadership style. I don’t like micromanaging people.”
She cited the Capitol’s renewed approach to reviving Cebu’s tourism industry, which in the past had been tightly controlled by the Capitol. Under her administration, the focus has shifted to community-based and experiential tourism.
To achieve this, Gov. Baricuatro said local government units have been empowered and given greater autonomy to implement tourism initiatives that best reflect their communities.
“Ang tourism karon, ato na gyud gihatag sa mga municipalities,” she said. “It will be them controlling tourism, not the Capitol controlling tourism, kay sila may kahibaw sa ilang offerings. We help them improve it with funding and training support.”
Ultimately, the governor said her leadership is anchored on collaboration with both public and private partners and on keeping the Capitol accessible to the people.
“I believe in inclusivity in leadership. You have to involve people, not exclude. That is why I always believe in opening the Capitol to the people,” she said.
“Simply ra man ang akong leadership style: it’s about inclusion, including everybody, not exclusion.” /𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑰𝑻𝑶𝑳 𝑷𝑰𝑶
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