While Garcia was in Oslob Magpale locks up governor’s office

CEBU, Philippines - Tension gripped the Capitol yesterday as acting governor Agnes Magpale ordered the office of suspended governor Gwen Garcia padlocked while Garcia was away visiting in Oslob.

At 2 p.m., around 20 policemen from the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) escorted Provincial Administrator Eduardo Jabin and Magpale’s legal counsels to serve the order to secure the governor’s office.

Suspended Governor Gwendolyn Garcia was not in her office at the time as she reportedly left past 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

Garcia went to the southern municipalities yesterday, her first time to step out of her office for a long time after more than a month of holding on to her office despite being suspended by Malacañang.

On January 20, Garcia stepped out of her office to dance during the Sinulog but immediately went back.

Yesterday, while members of Garcia’s staff were inside her office, Civil Security Unit personnel started locking the doors with logs, nails, chain and locks.

But the employees of the governor’s office refused to step out.

Elizabeth Francia, Garcia’s chief of staff, said that they were not informed about Magpale’s order to lock their office.She said that they only knew of the order from the media.

“This is clearly a violation of our legal rights. It’s like there are no humans in this office,” Francia said.

Around 3:30 in the afternoon, Garcia’s legal counsels arrived and spoke with the lawyers of Magpale.

Lawyer Lito Astillero said that they were given the order after the doors were already locked, leaving them with no enough  time to prepare.

Astillero said that Magpale addressed the order to Jabin and not to them.

But in a separate press conference, Magpale said that the letter was addressed to Jabin since he is the Capitol administrator.

“They (Garcia’s camp) are not legally recognized, they should not be holding office there. We do not even know who they are,” added Magpale.

Garcia’s counsel also criticized the presence of policemen if the purpose was only to serve the order.

“This is overkill. We are not armed, but they are heavily armed,” said Astillero.

But Police Superintendent Leopoldo Cabanag of RPSB said they were there upon Magpale’s request to ensure security in the area.

Garcia’s camp questioned Magpale for giving such order when in fact she had already assured that she will not lock the governor’s office.

However, Magpale said that she needed to decide upon learning that the governor had left and was planning to return.

“Mogawas siya unya mobalik nasad diay? Unsa ni headquarters lang ang Capitol? This is too much. She went out diay last night and will go back, so this is a mockery of the order of the president”

Magpale said that Garcia’s continued stay inside her office already costs the Capitol a lot.

Earlier, Magpale ordered the closure of the conference room and the social hall to prevent any unofficial use.

“You know for the longest time, we have tolerated the presence of the suspended governor and as a suspended governor, she is not entitled to an office anymore, no salary, much less an office and staff but we just tolerated for the longest time that she has stayed there. But since we discovered that she left the office last night, this is already too much,” she said.

Magpale also clarified that they are not illegally detaining Garcia’s staff members since they were allowed to go out.

She said the employees should not be in the office anymore after 5 p.m.

Electricity and water connections to the office have also been cut as ordered by the acting governor.

Magpale said that she and acting Vice Governor Julian Daan will meet on who would take the Office of the Governor.

Heated argument

Garcia’s personnel had a heated argument with policemen guarding the only exit from the governor’s office after they refused to let in Elizabeth Francia who left to use the comfort room.

Police officers held back Francia from entering the office but other Garcia’s staff members who were inside pulled her in.

Garcia’s personnel then secured the documents inside by wrapping them with newspapers and sealing them with masking tapes.

The documents were then signed by Francia.

Both legal counsels of Magpale and Garcia met with the police as they checked things of the Garcia’s personnel, who were later allowed to step out of the office. 

As of press time, four doors have been locked, including the entrance and the bathrooms.

Garcia was reportedly on her way back to the Capitol but Magpale said that the suspended governor  will not be allowed to go back in.

Validity of suspension

Liberal Party Cebu provincial chairman Hilario Davide III said the fact that Garcia left the Capitol only means she already conceded the validity of her suspension.

“What will it make of her statement that she will leave the Governor’s office over her dead body? It is a clear indication of despair on her part as she now feels that the Cebuanos  are starting to understand that she is full of hypocrisy and deception,” Davide said. 

Davide said he supported Magpale’s move to padlock the governor’s office.

“Her illegal and arrogant refusal to vacate the office of the governor has been compromising the meager resources of the Capitol,” Davide said.

Once Cebu activities

Garcia attended some activities with her family and allies of One Cebu Party in Oslob yesterday morning.

She was joined by her father, Deputy Speaker Pablo “Pabling” Garcia, brothers Rep. Pablo John and Byron, and son Paolo and wife Michelle.

Vice gubernatorial candidate Ramon “Boboy” Durano IV, Mayor Ronald Guarin and former provincial board member Carmiano Kintanar were also with her.

“Mura ako og nakahanggap na usab og preskong hangin sa kagawasan,” she also told reporters in Oslob.

The decision to step out of the governor’s office was the result of the request by One Cebu mayors during their meeting on Saturday for her to visit their towns.

Garcia said that during the meeting, Guarin made the first invitation for her to attend the inauguration of the whale shark watching briefing center, prompting her to visit Oslob first.

“O my Gosh, it feels like heaven. I can’t believe that I’m actually back home. I dream every night for the past 42 nights,” Garcia told The FREEMAN as she arrived home.

Pablo John made it clear that Gwen has just stepped out of her office but not as governor.

Garcia also vowed to return to her office.

“No overacting governor can ever take that away,” she said.

In the middle of the press conference, Garcia was informed that her office was already padlocked by policemen upon Magpale’s order.

“Kung iya nang ipapadlok, sila na tingale manubag ana sa mga Sugbuanon,” Garcia said.

— With Gregg M. Rubio/LPM (FREEMAN)