CEBU CITY—It appears the political landscapes of Cebu are changing with the leads of gubernatorial candidate Pam Baricuatro and Cebu City mayoral bet Nestor Archival widening as vote counting progresses.
Baricuatro from PDP-Laban continues to lead the race with over 868,646 votes as of 8:00 AM on May 13, 2025, based on partial and unofficial results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) media server as published by GMA Integrated News.
The numbers represent 2,288,665 votes cast from 3,407,780 registered voters with 78.18% of election returns processed.
Incumbent governor Gwendolyn Garcia of One Cebu lags way behind with 604,771 votes. The growing margin now positions Baricuatro for a potential historic victory, signaling a shift in political preference among Cebuano voters.
Though the results remain unofficial, the current numbers strongly suggest that the province may be heading toward a new administration after years of dominance by the Garcia political dynasty, according to a Facebook post by Basic Sectors Alliance for Community and Genuine Change.
Meanwhile, Archival led the mayoral race in Cebu City with 195,472 votes and counting. His main rival, incumbent city mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, has already conceded defeat based on his latest Facebook post.
“One of the biggest blessings I have received in life is having been given the opportunity to serve the City of Cebu,” Mayor Garcia said. “We fought a good fight but, in the end, it is the people who make the final judgement.”
Mayor Garcia congratulated both Archival and his running mate Tommy Osmeña for their successful campaigns. “I shall spend the next weeks ensuring a smooth transition to the incoming administration, even as we make good on the projects we’ve already lined up,” he added.
The senatorial race in Cebu was also dominated by candidates allied with the PDP-Laban party of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Re-electionist Senators Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go and Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa topped the list with six of their allies in the so-called ‘DuterTEN’ coalition.
The numbers, though partial and unofficial, marked the beginning of changes in the politics and governance of Cebu Province and Cebu City. Canvassing of votes continues with official results and proclamations expected in the following days.