One Cebu
Encyclopedia
One Cebu is a provincial political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 based in the province of Cebu. It is headed by Gwendolyn Garcia
Gwendolyn Garcia
Gwendolyn Fiel Garcia , commonly known as Gwen, is the Governor of the Philippine province of Cebu. She was first elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2007. She is Cebu's first woman governor...

, the current governor of Cebu.

History

The party was formed in response to the Sugbuak
Sugbuak
The term Sugbuak refers to the failed controversial splitting of the island province of Cebu in the Philippines into four independent provinces before the 2007 general election...

, or the failed Cebu-split movement, in time for the 2007 general elections
Philippine general election, 2007
Legislative and local elections were held in the Philippines on May 14, 2007. Positions contested included half the seats in the Senate, which are elected for six-year terms, and all the seats in the House of Representatives, who were elected for three-year terms...

. 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.

In founding One Cebu, the Garcia family and their supporters capitalized on the widespread opposition to the Sugbuak movement, declaring that there is only one Cebu; hence, the party's name. They later left the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats
Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats
Lakas-CMD , popularly known as Lakas, was a political party in the Philippines and the predecessor of Lakas Kampi CMD. Its ideology and that of its successor is heavily influenced by Christian and Islamic democracy, and by Populism...

, once the dominant majority party in national politics, and joined former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...

's political party, the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino
Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino
The Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino , formerly the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino , was a political party in the Philippines. It is the mother party of the incumbent Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo...

 (Kampi). The party's strength is further bolstered by internal alliances with the Alang sa Kalambuan ug Kalinaw (Alayon) party in the first district, led by the Gullas family, and the Barog Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) party of the Durano family in the fifth district. This is said to be reason for Gov. Garcia's wide margin (by around half a million votes) in the votes cast for governor in the 2007 elections.

A year after Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III , also known as Noynoy Aquino or PNoy, is a Filipino politician who has been the 15th and current President of the Philippines since June 2010....

 was elected President of the Philippines
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...

 in 2010, One Cebu again switched party allegiance—this time, to the National Unity Party
National Unity Party (Philippines)
National Unity Party is a political party in the Philippines. The party was formed by former members of the Lakas Kampi CMD who broke away after internal discontent within the party...

, of which former Cebu governor Pablo Garcia
Pablo P. Garcia
Pablo Paras Garcia is a Filipino politician. A graduate of the University of San Carlos, Garcia placed 3rd in the 1951 Philippine Bar Examination with a rating of 91.5%. Garcia served as governor of Cebu from 1995 to 2004. He had previously served as the vice-governor of Cebu from 1969 to 1971...

 is a member.

One Cebu Today

As of the last elections
Elections in the Philippines
The Philippines elects on national level a head of state and a legislature. The president is elected for a six-year term by the people. The vice-president is elected at the same time on a separate ballot...

 for the House of Representatives
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines is the lower chamber of the...

, One Cebu holds 7 out of 277 seats. Cebu's six congressional districts and the newly created district of Lapu-Lapu City
Lapu-Lapu City
The City of Lapu-Lapu is a first class highly urbanized city in the province of Cebu in the Philippines. The city occupies most of Mactan Island, a few kilometer off the main island of Cebu and also covers the Olango Island Group further to the southeast, plus a few other islets. It is part of the...

 are currently represented by the following members of One Cebu:


  • Rep. Eduardo R. Gullas (first district)
  • Rep. Pablo P. Garcia (second district)
  • Rep. Pablo John F. Garcia (third district)
  • Rep. Benhur L. Salimbangon (fourth district)
  • Rep. Ramon H. Durano VI (fifth district)
  • Rep. Gabriel Luis R. Quisumbing (sixth district)
  • Rep. Arturo O. Radaza (lone district, Lapu-Lapu City
    Lapu-Lapu City
    The City of Lapu-Lapu is a first class highly urbanized city in the province of Cebu in the Philippines. The city occupies most of Mactan Island, a few kilometer off the main island of Cebu and also covers the Olango Island Group further to the southeast, plus a few other islets. It is part of the...

    )



One Cebu also dominates the provincial council with Gov. Garcia and Vice Governor Agnes Magpale leading a large majority of Sangguniang Panlalawigan members, plus the presidents of the local Liga ng mga Barangay
Liga ng mga Barangay
The Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas is a formal organization of all the barangays in the Philippines...

, Sangguniang Kabataan
Sangguniang Kabataan
The Sangguniang Kabataan is the governing body in every chapter of the Katipunan ng Kabataan . Each barangay in the Philippines is mandated by law to have its own chapter of the Katipunan ng Kabataan, aging from 15 to 18 years old who resides in their respective barangays for at least 6months...

 and the Councilors' League. In the local level, the party has the backing of 31 out of 53 city and municipal mayors throughout Cebu.

2010 National and Local Elections

In the 2010 national elections
Philippine general election, 2010
Elections for all positions in the Philippines above the barangay were held on Monday, May 10, 2010. The elected president will become the 15th President of the Philippines, succeeding President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is barred from seeking re-election due to term restrictions...

, One Cebu strongly campaigned for the candidacy of Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro, Jr., the standard bearer of the now-merged Lakas-Kampi-CMD
Lakas-Kampi-CMD
Lakas Kampi CMD is a center-right political party in the Philippines and the current minority party in the country. Its ideology is heavily influenced by Christian and Islamic democracy...

 party. Gov. Garcia promised that Cebu will give 1 million votes to Teodoro, but local election results showed the latter behind then presumptive president-elect Aquino who got more than 400,000 votes.

Gov. Garcia selected businessman Glenn Anthony Soco to be her running mate in the 2010 elections. Gov. Garcia and Soco are said to have a 'romantic relationship,' which created much media hype.

The vice gubernatorial hopeful, however, still lost to the late former vice governor Gregorio Sanchez, Jr., who is the founding vice president of One Cebu. Sanchez later bolted out of Gov. Garcia's group after One Cebu welcomed Tuburan, Cebu
Tuburan, Cebu
Tuburan is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 53,663 people.Tuburan was founded in the 1851 by Don Mariano Montebon who came from the town of Sogod...

mayor Constancio Suezo and his team as party members. The former vice governor was against the inclusion of Suezo's group after they allegedly failed to maintain the peace and order situation in the town.

2013 Local Elections

In 2010, Rep. Pablo John Garcia, the governor's brother, announced that he and Soco will be One Cebu’s candidates for governor and vice governor, respectively, in the 2013 local elections. But in May 2011, Pablo John said he decided not to run for governor because he wants to continue serving his home district.
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