Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

Of all the provinces in the Philippines, Cebu ranks number one in terms of assets and cash in bank. People say Cebu ranks number one because of the current unity that has never before been seen in any province: unity among elected officials, unity among business groups, unity among its people, and unity between the private and public sectors. And many credit it all to Cebu’s first woman governor, Gwen Garcia.

"I see Cebu as a province proud of its rich heritage, confident in seizing the opportunity of a century it has been presented, with sights set on the bright future that is its birthright," said Gwen who was recently elected for her third term as governor.

According to the governor’s profile in cebu.gov.ph, from a margin of 7,000 votes in 2004 to a historic half a million in 2007, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia was re-elected again with a margin of 90,000 votes during the May 2010 elections. With her passion to deliver and sharp eye for economic enterprise, she has re-invented government, professionalized the delivery of public services and propelled Cebu into an international recognition that was never known before.

Her initiatives are all out-of-the-box that surprised many and encouraged several others. And their results: all for unprecedented growth.

For all her amazing accomplishments, Governor Garcia has already made history as the "best governor" Cebu has ever seen.

Her accomplishments go beyond what could be seen by the naked eye or those that could be counted in numbers. They include those that can be felt only in the hearts of everyone, rich and poor alike. The pride of being a Cebuano, the power of kinship with fellow Cebuanos that defy pessimism or natural disasters, the fiery determination to take control of a situation instead of being controlled by it.

Gwen has a 12-point agenda that she has been focusing on with great success: infrastructure, water, power, health, education, women, children and the elderly; business, food production and livelihood; peace and order; tourism; environment; and information technology.

Her administration boasts of many successes. Some of these include the completion of the Cebu International Convention Center; the paving of 660,000 kilometers of roads by end of 2010, brought water through faucets in tens of thousands of households; almost complete in its target of 100-percent electrification of every sitio in the province; built more provincial hospitals; holds medical missions throughout the province on a regular basis; construction and repair of more classrooms; distributed 10 computers for each public high school; initiated the Sinanduloy Alang sa Kabusog, Sinanduloy Alang sa Kahimsog (SakSak) program, the mixing of sweet potato (camote) with boiled rice in response to the rice crisis; established a Cebu Women’s Development Center; implemented the GRAMEEN for women empowerment, which provides loans for livelihood so women will be financially empowered; provides medicines and assistive devices for the elderly and disabled; institutionalized the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo, a high-impact and successful tourism program; helped make Cebu the No.1 tourist destination in the country; constructed the P10-million new headquarters for the Cebu Provincial Police Office; pushed for Cebu to be the IT hub in the region; and provided computers and internet connection among government agencies and public high schools in the towns.

With her programs, hope permeates the whole island and all sectors including the elderly, the children, teenagers, persons with disabilities, individuals and families in crisis, day care workers, health workers, teachers, women, the police, military, barangay tanods and even those working with the justice system.

Commonly known as Gwen, Governor Gwendolyn Fiel Garcia was born October 12, 1955. She is the eldest daughter of former Cebu governor and now Congressman Pablo P. Garcia and Judge Esperanza "Inday" Fiel- Garcia, who had 8 children. Her brother Byron, is a security consultant for the Cebu provincial government, and caught global attention in 2007 due to Thriller (viral video). Lawyer-Congressman Pablo John Garcia is the youngest brother. Another brother, Winston Garcia, is the incumbent manager of the Government Service Insurance System (Philippines) while two other brothers serve in Cebu- Nelson is the mayor of Dumanjug and Marlon is the vice mayor of Barili.