Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

<p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATED) </strong>— The Office of the Ombudsman found former Cebu governor Gwen Garcia guilty of indirect contempt for defying its suspension order and fined her P30,000.</p><p>The Ombudsman in April suspended Garcis for six months to give way to an investigation into the permit she granted to a construction firm that lacked environment clearance.</p><p>She refused to step down as she questioned the timing of the suspension order issued just two weeks before the May elections.</p><p>Garcia’s team later said there was “no legal basis” for the Ombudsman to cite her in indirect contempt because a court had <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/5/23/no-defiance-of-ombudsman-suspension-order-we-have-tro-garcia-lawyer-1149">issued a stay on her suspension.</a></p><div><strong>&#x27;IMMEDIATELY EXECUTORY&#x27;</strong></div><p>But the Ombudsman said the April 23 suspension was “immediately executory” and the TRO was only issued on May 15.</p><p>This meant that Garcia “had no legal authority to discharge the functions of governor” from the release of the suspension until May 14 because “a TRO does not have retroactive application,” the Ombudsman said.</p><p>It said Garcia’s defiance of the suspension “is a clear case of resistance and disobedience to the lawful processes of this Office.”</p><p>“Moreover, your cavalier attitude constitutes improper conduct tending to impede or degrade administration of justice,” it told Garcia.</p><p>It said the penalty it imposed of Garcia was “a notice to those who may harbor the same conceit or delusion — that the Ombudsman’s orders can simply by disregarded or treated with impunity.”</p><p>“Let this be a stern warning to lawyers assisting you that as officers of the court, they have sworn to dedicate themselves to the maintenance of the rule of law, not undermine it,” the Ombudsman added.</p><div><strong>GARCIA: COURT ISSUED TRO</strong></div><p>Garcia said Friday that she has secured a Temporary Restraining Order from the Court of Appeals.</p><p>“By citing me for indirect contempt, is Ombudsman Martires insisting now that he does not respect the Temporary Restraining Order issued by the Court of Appeals?,” said Garcia in a message to reporters.</p><p>He also cited that the Office of the Ombudsman filed a Motion to Quash before the Court of the Appeals regarding the order.</p><p>“This, in effect, acknowledges the existence of the TRO,” added Garcia.</p><p>Garcia earlier said the firm tagged in the probe only received a permit due to &quot;the urgent need to address the critical water shortage that had severely affected the entire franchise area of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), which includes Cebu City and seven other local government units.&quot;</p><p>She lost her re-election bid in the May 12 polls and would be succeeded by Governor-elect <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/6/5/comelec-tells-cebu-governor-elect-baricuatro-to-answer-electoral-protest-1707">Pamela Baricuatro</a> on June 30. </p><p>Garcia filed an <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/6/3/cebu-gov-garcia-files-electoral-protest-contests-4-100-precincts-1711">electoral protest</a> last May 23 and questioned the results of over 4,100 clustered precincts. <strong>— with a report from Annie Perez</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><iframe width="727" height="409" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2TDG2U-Qu2Q" title="Ombudsman issues show cause order vs Gwen Garcia | ANC" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>The Office of the Ombudsman found Cebu governor Gwen Garcia guilty of indirect contempt for defying its suspension order and fined her P30,000.</p>

The Office of the Ombudsman found Cebu governor Gwen Garcia guilty of indirect contempt for defying its suspension order and fined her P30,000.

Gwen Garcia fined for defying Ombudsman suspension order

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Gwen Garcia fined for defying Ombudsman suspension order

Jamaine Punzalan

Published June 13, 2025 01:59 PM PHT

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Updated June 13, 2025 04:06 PM PHT

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Ombudsman

Cebu

Gwen Garcia

suspension

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