President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has thrown his support behind Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who was slapped with a six-month suspension without pay by the Office of the Ombudsman over alleged grave abuse of authority.

The Ombudsman accused Garcia of issuing a special permit to a construction company in May 2024 without first securing an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) or a Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Her issuance of the permit was supposedly aimed at addressing a water shortage in the province. Garcia has said she will appeal the suspension.

In a statement, the President said he had been briefed on the case. Underscoring the need to uphold the law — especially with the elections approaching — he stressed that due process must be followed.

“Any action that affects the mandate of a duly elected official must go through the proper channels and be in line with the Constitution and the Omnibus Election Code,” Marcos said.

Meanwhile, he praised Garcia for her service to Cebu, calling her a strong and consistent leader.

“Governor Garcia has served Cebu with strength and consistency. Until all legal questions surrounding this suspension are settled, she deserves fair treatment and the respect due her office,” Marcos said.

He stressed that politics must never get in the way of good governance. “We must always be guided by the law, by prudence, and by what is best for the Filipino people,” he said.

Garcia, a close ally of Marcos, remains a powerful figure in Cebu, a province with more than three million voters.

Ombudsman slams Garcia

Ombudsman Samuel Martires blasted Governor Gwen Garcia for her defiance, emphasizing that this isn’t the first time she has disregarded the rule of law and the Ombudsman’s rulings.

Martires pointed out that Garcia also defied a dismissal order in 2018 after being found guilty of grave misconduct over the anomalous purchase of a 249,246-square-meter property that was later discovered to be submerged.

“In that case, Cong. (now Gov.) Gwen Garcia defied the Ombudsman’s decision and, without any court order, stayed in office until June 2019 because the House leadership failed to enforce the Ombudsman’s ruling,” Martires said.