Baricuatro ends 2025 with 80 executive orders focusing on transparency, accountability

CEBU—Cebu governor, Pamela Baricuatro ended 2025 with 80 executive orders that mostly anchored on reforms, transparency, accountability and heightened healthcare services across the province, setting the tone for an administration that placed transparency and public accountability at the center of governance from its opening weeks. 

“We’re emphasizing the importance of transparency and good governance to ensure that public funds are spent efficiently and effectively for the benefit of the people,” the governor said.

Among the earliest and most consequential were executive orders that opened government processes to public scrutiny—including the full implementation of Freedom of Information (FOI) in the Provincial Government of Cebu and the mandatory livestreaming of procurement and bidding processes of the Bids and Awards Committees (BAC).

These measures institutionalized open access to information, reinforced ethical procurement, and positioned Cebu as a national model for transparent local governance—earning recognition from the Presidential Communications Office for its FOI guidelines.

Building on this transparency framework, the governor’s subsequent executive orders focused on institutional revival, systems reform, and crisis preparedness, reconstituting key councils, operationalizing long-dormant offices, and establishing mechanisms to ensure continuity of services—especially in health, disaster response, youth development, economic recovery, and public safety.

In one of her media briefing in 2025, Baricuatro expressed optimism in Cebu’s economic outlook for 2026 that are driven by increased investors’ interest and more new international flights, with the hosting of ASEAN 2026 and the international economic summit here in Cebu.

Baricuattro also bared that holding the Regional Development Council (RDC) chairmanship bodes well for Cebu, highlighting its role in economic development.  She mentioned that 30 projects were approved from the previous year and five major infrastructure projects have been recommended to the President for Cebu.

She said that the five major infrastructure projects include Talisay Road, Meganilla Road, the Metro Cebu Expressway, and the Mananga River flood control, hospital modernization and series of housing projects and the continuous rehabilitation and rebuilding of infrastructure and services from the aftermath of typhoons and earthquake that hit Cebu in 2025.

“It's going to be a promising year, also for Cebu, since investors are now coming to the province, and also more international flights are now open, these really help out with our economic activity,” Baricuatro said. (Photos: Cebu Capitol PIO/FB)