In its 454th founding anniversary, Cebu Province is “united” and “strong.”
This was how Gov. Gwen Garcia summed up the proud state of Cebu in a report she made to the Cebuanos on Friday, August 11, 2023, at the Capitol Social Hall.
The governor’s State of the Province Address, which lasted for 1 hour and 33 minutes and interrupted by applause 76 times, was graced by Sen. Francis Tolentino and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa who escorted her down the Social Hall aisle.
Department of Tourism Sec. Christina Garcia-Frasco and Department of Energy Sec. Raphael Lotilla were also present, headlining ranking officials from national line agencies who also came and listen to the governor’s report.
“My fellow Cebuanos, I am proud to say tonight that the state of the province is ‘united’,” Gov. Garcia said. “And perhaps no other time in Cebu’s history are we as politically united. And because we are united, the state of the province is strong, very strong!”
Cebu, under Gov. Garcia, has enjoyed an unprecedented unity among all levels of local governance, from the Capitol to the district levels, down to the cities and municipalities as well as the barangays. This unity which also reverberates all the way to Malacañang is the reason why Cebu continues to lead the way for the entire country to follow, the premier province in the entire archipelago.
“We remain the richest province in the entire country, with total assets of P235.7 billion as of end of 2022, a marked increase from P215.27 billion in 2021. We raised our internally generated revenues by 45.01% (compared to 2022), despite a reduction in National Tax Allotment by 14.59%,” she said.
She asserted that more than anything else, it is unity especially in governance that really brought Cebu to where it is today, and has spelled the difference in the effective, comprehensive and coordinated implementation of projects and programs in times of peace and crises; in plenty and calamity.
“For unlike the cynics who say ‘unity’ as a punchline; or the politico who uses ‘unity’ as an empty slogan, in Cebu we take unity as our solemn duty. Unity is how we preserve and honor our 454-year past. And to remain united is how we secure the present and ensure the future for this one, undivided and indivisible Province of Cebu,” the governor said.
The governor's much-anticipated SOPA was attended by Cebu's representatives at the Lower House, led by Deputy Speaker Duke Frasco and Congressman Pablo John Garcia. The mayors of the component cities and municipalities, as well as Mayor Jonas Cortes of Mandaue City and Mayor Mike Rama of Cebu City also showed out in support, together with their vice mayors and ABC presidents. | Carlo Lorenciana