8 hours Ago
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on Tuesday said the special permit she issued to a construction company was necessary to address the water shortage affecting the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), which services Cebu City and other local government units. Garcia issued the statement in response to the preventive suspension imposed on her by the Office of the Ombudsman. The suspension stems from an administrative complaint filed by Moises Garcia Deiparine, accusing her of grave abuse of authority, gross misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross negligence, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
The complaint is related to her issuance of a special permit to Shalom Construction, Inc. on May 14, 2024 allegedly without securing an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) or Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and without consulting relevant government agencies. Garcia has disagreed with the Ombudsman’s decision, stressing that the issuance of the special permit was necessary to address the urgent water shortage.
“The issuance of the Special Permit in question was driven solely by the urgent need to address the critical water shortage that had severely affected the entire franchise area of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District,” she said. Garcia also said all decisions related to the permit were made in coordination with local government units and agencies such as the DENR and its Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB). She clarified that the Cebu Provincial Board had earlier declared a state of calamity due to the water shortage, providing the legal basis for her actions.
“It must also be emphasized that this course of action was carried out with the proper approval of the Provincial Board, which had earlier declared the entire Province of Cebu under a state of calamity due to the acute water shortage,” she added. The governor also denied any personal interest or malice in issuing the permit, describing it as a decision rooted purely in public service. “There was no personal interest or malice involved—only a deep sense of responsibility to act swiftly in the face of the growing burden and suffering of the Cebuanos due to the dwindling water supply,” she said.
Garcia further noted that she was not given prior notice of the complaint, depriving her of the opportunity to address the accusations beforehand. “It bears stressing that we were never given notice of this complaint, and thus were deprived of the opportunity to respond to Mr. Moises Garcia Deiparine’s baseless and malicious accusations,” Garcia explained.
She also raised concerns about the political motivations behind the complaint, saying that Deiparine is a known figure with alleged partisan affiliations. “We will allow the facts—not political motivations—to speak for themselves,” she said. Garcia confirmed that her legal team is taking appropriate steps to challenge the preventive suspension.
“My legal team is already taking the necessary steps to challenge this preventive suspension through the proper legal channels,” she said, expressing confidence that justice would prevail. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy .
Despite the suspension, Garcia reaffirmed her commitment to serve the people of Cebu. “To the people of Cebu: please be assured that my commitment to serve you remains steadfast. No political maneuvering, no malicious attacks, and no unjust actions will ever deter me from fulfilling my sworn duty,” she said.
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