A United and One Cebu

The culmination of the 450th celebration of the founding of Cebu province capped off on Saturday, August 31, with a renewed promise of a unified and One Cebu under the leadership of Gov. Gwen Garcia.

The governor, who is the first woman chief executive of the province, led city and provincial officials in honoring the men and women who made the month-long celebration successful. She said Cebuanos have long wanted to see their leaders work together for a unified Cebu and that night’s event was “symbolic” for it gathered everyone – including the private sector – “to fulfill the aspirations and hope of the Cebuanos.”

She highlighted that it was the coming together of Cebu City and the Province of Cebu officials that sealed the success of the month-long celebration.

For one, the city government hosted the revived “Pasigarbo sa Sugbo 2019” by allowing the use the Cebu City Sports Center. The City also helped in securing the event.

She added that the last election gave Cebuanos “the opportunity to speak loud and clear and we officials were chosen to serve, to lead and to inspire… Perhaps it is by no chance or accident of history that the Cebuanos chose Mayor Edgar Labella and I to lead the city and the province of Cebu especially at this moment of Cebu’s history as we prepare the celebration of 500 years of Christianity.”

The governor likewise said that the success of the province as “One Cebu” cannot be done by her and Labella alone but by everyone. “We face unchartered territory, a road untraveled. It takes all of us to be the right people at this right time for the right reason. We will need each other’s support,” she said.

Cebu’s political luminaries like former Deputy Speaker and Cebu governor Pablo Garcia,  Presidential Legislative Liaison Office Secretary Adelino Sitoy, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino, Deputy Speaker Pablo John Garcia, Cebu congressional representatives, Cebuano members of the judiciary, heads of government line agencies, some members of the diplomatic corps, business leaders, department heads and the police were present.