One Cebu (1-CEBU) is a provincial political party based in the province of Cebu. It is headed by Gov. Gwendolyn Fiel Garcia.
The party was formed in response to the Sugbuak, or the failed Cebu-split movement, in time for the 2007 general elections. A brainchild of three Cebuano representatives who were in their last terms of office, Sugbuak entailed the supposed splitting of Cebu province into four independent provinces.
The Sugbuak proposal met widespread opposition led by the Garcia family and their supporters, declaring that there is only one Cebu; hence, the party’s name.
Gov. Gwen Garcia, alongside her father, former Governor and House Deputy Speaker Pablo Garcia, and her youngest sibling, Pablo John Garcia became the symbol of unity and stability for
Cebu Province.
In the 2007 elections, the Cebuanos believed in the party’s ideals, propelling One Cebu to prominence in the local political arena and solidifying its position as the province’s leading political force.
They later left the Lakas—Christian Muslim Democrats, a once dominant majority party in the national scene, and joined former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo‘s political party, the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI).
The party’s strength was further bolstered by internal alliances with the Alayon Alang sa Kalambuan ug Kalinaw (Alayon) party in the first district, led by the Gullas family, and the Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (BAKUD) party of the Durano family in the fifth district. This led to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia‘s wide margin — around half a million votes — in the votes cast for governor in the 2007 elections.
A year after Benigno Aquino III was elected President of the Philippines in 2010, One Cebu again switched party allegiance— this time, to the National Unity Party, which former Cebu governor Pablo Garcia founded.
In 2013, during the final term of the party president, Gwendolyn Garcia as governor, One Cebu would soon be tested.
The ensuing years were described as the dark days of the party when it’s gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial candidates did not win the 2013 elections.
It was left to Gwen Garcia, who was elected representative of Cebu’s third district, to hoist the party banner with the support of a few loyal allies, after other political forces had slowly eroded several One Cebu members.
2016 LOCAL AND NATIONAL ELECTIONS
During the 2016 election campaign, One Cebu decided to support the presidential candidacy of former President, then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, and pledged to deliver more than one million votes for the latter.
One Cebu delivered, and Duterte became the 16th president of the republic, garnering more than a million Cebuano votes.
In 2018, after serving two terms in Congress, Gwen Garcia sought to return to the Capitol in the 2019 elections, aiming to reclaim her position as governor of Cebu.
Several incumbent local officials from various political parties chose to align with One Cebu. This, once again, strengthened the influence and reach of the party across the province, effectively consolidating its power, and further solidifying its status as the province’s dominant political party.
The surge of support made Gwen Garcia’s win more apparent, and her victory would mean a victory for the One Cebu party.
And win she did.
GWEN IS BACK AND ONE CEBU EXPANSION
One Cebu’s 2019 victory reshaped the political landscape of Cebu’s fifth district when former Liloan Mayor, now Congressman and Deputy Speaker Duke Frasco, unseated a family that had dominated the district for over 50 years – the Durano Family.
Governor Garcia’s win made her the only governor in Cebu’s entire history who came back for the fifth term in office. Garcia garnered a total of 887,290 votes against her rival, incumbent Vice Governor Agnes Magpale’s 598,567 votes. During her proclamation May 16, 2019, Garcia’s supporters joined her at the Capitol donning “Gwen Is Back” shirts with a battle cry “#IbalikAngSugboPagkaNumeroUno” or “make Cebu number one again”.
Following her victory in 2019, several officials from opposing parties shifted their allegiance to One Cebu, committing to support her administration and policies. This shift was especially significant during the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was further compounded by the devastation wrought by Super Typhoon Odette in Cebu.
During that period, with Governor Garcia as the founding leader and Then Deputy Speaker and Third District Congressman Pablo John Garcia as secretary general, One Cebu reached out and extended assistance to all towns and component cities in Cebu Province, including the highly urbanized and independent cities, regardless of the political affiliation of their mayors.
The avalanche of support came, starting with the officials of the municipality of Sogod whose Mayor, Lisa Marie Durano Streegan, a long time supporter and a relative of the Duranos in the fifth district, took their oaths of allegiance before Gov. Garcia.
The dominant political family in the 7th District of Cebu which was led by its patriarch, Samboan Mayor Emerito Calderon and 7th District Representative Peter John Calderon, a close relative to the Duranos, followed.
2022 NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS
In 2021, it was not difficult for the party to adopt the idea of UNITEAM which was behind the tandem of former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and then Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte. Their tandem promoted unity which aligned with One Cebu’s principle, believing that this was the only way that the country could move forward and bring unparalleled development for Cebu.
Again, One Cebu delivered its end of the bargain. During the 2022 national elections, Cebu gave the Uniteam tandem the highest number of votes from a Province, delivering more than two million votes in total for Marcos and Duterte. Marcos became the 17th President, and Duterte the 16th Vice President of the Republic.
The party continues to attract the brightest minds who believe that to overcome adversity, Cebu must be united.
Shortly after the 2022 elections, more officials from other political parties continued to switch to One Cebu. A more notable group was the mayors, vice mayors, barangay and SK officials of the Camotes Group of Islands who have always been allied with the political opposition.
In 2023, the Martinezes, a dominant political family in the fourth district of Cebu but has always been a known political adversary of Gwen Garcia during her first round as governor, allied and joined the party.
The move brought back memories of the good old days when former Gov. Pablo ‘Noy Pabling’ Garcia and Congressman and long-time Bogo City Mayor Celestino ‘Junie’ Martinez Jr. were not only close political allies but also shared a genuine friendship, making the event a full-circle moment, as their children now unite under the same political banner.
In 2024, municipal, barangay, and SK officials in the towns of Compostela, Boljoon, Malabuyoc, Ronda, among others, joined One Cebu from the mayors down to the barangay captains and SK officials.
To be continued…