CEBU CITY – Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia is taking a leave of absence to spend time with her family.
It is the first time since 2019 that the governor will take a break from work.
“I will be missing work. Wa maanad ni akong lawas nga walay trabaho (My body is not used to me not working),” Garcia said in a press conference on Friday, September 8.
The governor and her family are leaving for Italy on Saturday, September 9. She will report back to work on September 20.
“I will be away for about 10 days. But I’m doing this, first of all, for my son. I haven’t had a break since 2019. Maybe it’s time for me to take a break,” she said.
The governor said when she was still a congresswoman, she and her family used to have a vacation after 100 congressional days.
Garcia said she has been swamped with work at the capitol and that she didn’t have to take a break since 2019.
The governor added that she finally took time to take a leave as her son Paolo is set to compete in an Ironman race in Italy.
The governor emphasized that no government funds will be spent for her personal trip.
Vice Gov. Hilario Davide III will be the acting governor while Garcia is away.
After arriving from Italy, Garcia will fly to South Korea to appear in an official capacity at the 18th East Asia Tourism Forum (EATOF) in Gangwon Province from September 21 to 24.
Garcia said she will be the lone non-Korean speaker in the forum.
The governor said EATOF Secretary General Jun Tae Hyeon who invited her to speak in the forum which is expected to be attended by governors and top officials from its 10 member-provinces – Cebu, Gangwon, South Korea; Jilin, China; Sarawak, Malaysia; Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Tottori, Japan; Luang Prabang, Laos; Tuv, Mongolia; Siem Reap, Cambodia; and Quang Ninh, Vietnam.