CEBU CITY – Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia rejected the call of a private group urging her to run for senator in the 2022 elections.
Garcia said she is more needed by Cebu especially that the province is still trying to recover from the ill-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In rejecting the call of the “Gwen for Senator: Ang Probinsyana, Run Gwen Run” movement, Garcia announced that she will seek reelection in next year’s elections.
"I have no intentions whatsoever of seeking national office. Read my lips, I'm running for governor again because I feel I am more needed here in the province of Cebu at this time and in the next years that will follow as we tried to recover from this pandemic,” Garcia said.
Headed by urban poor leader Edward Ligas, a movement was launched last Thursday urging Garcia to take a shot at a Senate seat.
The group said Garcia has the needed skills to become a good senator.
It added that it is high time for Garcia to run for senator since there is no true-blooded Cebuano in the current crop of legislators in the Senate.
The governor’s brother, Cebu Rep. Pablo John Garcia, likewise thumped the call.
Pablo John described the call as suspicious, saying some members of the movement supported the governor’s political opponents in the previous election.
"I'm sorry I don’t know this group but I am deeply suspicious on groups like this which suddenly surfaced now that the election is approaching,” said Pablo John.
Pablo John said he suspected that the call was meant to get the governor out of her opponents’ way knowing that her sister remains to be the formidable candidate for governor.