Photo credit: Pam Baricuatro

In a stunning political upset, first-time candidate Pamela Baricuatro of PDP-Laban unseated veteran politician Gwendolyn Garcia to become the 28th—and only the second woman—governor of Cebu province.

Baricuatro clinched victory with an overwhelming 1,107,924 votes, leaving Garcia behind with 765,051. “Thank you. We did it!” Baricuatro exclaimed to a jubilant crowd of supporters following her official proclamation on Tuesday.

The proclamation, however, was delayed by nearly six hours as the Commission on Elections-Central Visayas (Comelec 7) awaited the transmission of results from a precinct in Pinamungajan town on Cebu’s western coast. A glitch involving a corrupted USB halted the process, prompting Comelec to seek clearance from its Manila office to reformat the device and resume counting.

Adding drama to the day, Garcia’s legal team attempted to block Baricuatro’s proclamation, citing a pending petition to disqualify her as a nuisance candidate. But Comelec officials stood firm, saying only a court order could halt the proceedings.

In the same session, the Board of Canvassers proclaimed Glenn Soco—Garcia’s running mate—as Cebu’s new vice governor, replacing Hilario Davide III.

Meanwhile, winners from all seven congressional districts in the province were announced. Incumbents Rhea Gullas (1st District), Deputy Speaker Duke Frasco (5th), and Daphne Lagon (6th) retained their seats. New faces heading to Congress include Edsel Galeos (2nd), Karen Garcia (3rd), Sun Shimura (4th), and Patricia Calderon (7th).

Baricuatro’s unexpected rise signals a major shake-up in Cebu’s political landscape, sending a strong message that fresh faces can still break through in Philippine politics.