Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia reminded public officials about the reason for their “coming together” during the historic inaugural of Pier 88, the “smart port”, in Liloan on Saturday, May 27.
In what seems to be an indirect reference to the reported “rift” between Vice President Sara Duterte and House Speaker and presidential cousin Martin Romualdez, Gov. Gwen said in her opening speech that “synchronicities and coincidences” that put national leaders together on this day “are not random.”
“They happen for a reason,” she noted, speaking in the presence of President Bongbong Marcos, Duterte, and Romualdez.
“In life there are synchronicities. Random events that seem to look like coincidences and yet if you look more closely you realize that all of these are connected and give meaning to our lives,” the governor said in her opening speech.
“Throughout this afternoon, I’ve been trying to think of what possible reason could have brought us together here on this stage — brought us all together, our officials and Cebuanos to celebrate this milestone — and then we go back to unity and Uniteam. For what greater reason could there possibly be than coming together in oneness, in unity, to serve our people to serve those are who most in need. Ang mga Sugbuanon ang mga Pilipino — sama sama tayong babangon muli,” the governor said.
In her speech, the governor reminisced how then former Davao mayor and now Vice President Duterte, joined local officials in the groundbreaking of Pier 88 in 2019.
“In 2019, we broke ground right here on what was then a promise of pier 88 together with and was our special guest, a city mayor, the presidential daughter, Sara Duterte or Inday. Well, she’s back, right here to inaugurate the realization of that promise because Pier 88 has now come to full life. And I knew she will not miss this occasion for the world, to put a full circle to what was started and now has finally completed,” the governor said.
She then went on to reminisce when in 2010, then Senator Marcos Jr., attended the Rosquillos Festival but was seated in a separate table and she told then mayor and now Deputy Speaker Duke Frasco, to invite the former president’s son and name-sake Ferdinand Jr. to the presidential table.
“And so I told Duke to ask that person to join us here in the presidential table. But at that moment, I was struck at the humility of this person. There were…and always there is humility in that person…”
The governor went on to narrate the serendipitous moment of these two separate incidents by elaborating, “Little did we know then, that in 2022, both of them would team up under the banner of uniteam -- calling for unity in this fractured and divided country of ours. And that was what the Filipinos were looking for. The Filipinos responded, in fact the Cebuanos responded with a defeaning cry -- ‘Yes unity.’ Sama sama tayong babangon muli.”
She further added that the result of that election showed the entire Cebu Island, “One Cebu Island -- Mayor Mike, Mayor Jonas, Mayor ahong, and all of us Cebuanos, trooped to the voting precincts and with one voice, we delivered the highest votes for president and vice president throughout the entire country.”
She said this is just one of “the many coincidences that will continue to happen for as long as we remember the core of why we had been given this opportunity to serve.”
Gov. Gwen delivered these statements amid the seemingly growing issues at the national government, with the recent resignation of VP Sara from Lakas-CMD, the political party that served as vehicle for the Marcos-Duterte victory as a tandem in the 2022 elections. News reports claim of a House drama involving its top party leaders – Romualdez and former president and senior deputy speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Arroyo was allegedly involved in a House coup which resulted to her “replacement” as senior deputy speaker.
Gov. Gwen, in an interview with reporters after the event, revealed they, together with the national leaders, gathered in a private meeting.
While she did not give specific details, the governor disclosed that among the things they talked about are good plans for Cebu and the Cebuanos. | Carlo Lorenciana
