Gwen transfers to Barili

AS promised, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia transferred her voter’s registration to Barili in the 3rd congressional district yesterday.

She said the family has roots in Barili, a southwest town where her grandmother, Dona Josefa Paras, was a native.

“It’s required that a transfer of registration be done … ideally one year before,” she told reporters even as she insisted that the move was “not entirely” for political reasons.

The 3rd district is led by her brother Rep. Pablo John Garcia, who announced last week that he was running for governor in 2013, leaving the seat open for another candidate of One Cebu.

Gwen’s transfer meant giving up her voter’s listing in the adjacent town of Dumanjug in the 2nd district, where her father is seeking reelection.

Asked if the move to Barili was a fallback in case she no longer pursues her bid for a Senate seat, Garcia said that she will just allow people to “speculate.”

Residency of six months before the May 13, 2013, election is a legal requirement to qualify as a candidate for congressman.

The deadline for filing certificates of candidacy is Oct. 1 to 5.

Gwen said she transferred voter’s registration “para ang mga taga Barili maka ingon nga ay nia na sab namo narehistro pinangga gyud diay mi (so that Barili residents can say they, too, are special to me).”

She signed a form for her transfer of voter’s registration in Comelec Barili and had her photo taken by a Comelec officer.

Her eldest son Paulo, is also set to transfer his voter’s registration today in Barili town, southwest Cebu.

“People will always start speculating… There are those who don’t believe me so I cannot stop them from speculating or trying to read more to this transfer of registration than what it actually is,” said the governor.

Barili has 42,000 registered voters as of March 31, according to the local Comelec office.

Before the signing, Garcia was received by her brother, Barili Vice Mayor Marlon Garcia with municipal councilors and barangay captains.

She said she was pleased to the group: “Sakto ra diay akong desisyon nga motransfer ug rehistro .. hapit na gud mahuman akong termino (I made the right decision to transfer.. my term is almost over),” she said.

Garcia and the rest of the group then went to Pinamungahan town where One Cebu party allies and members gathered at the rest house of 3rd district Rep. Pablo John Garcia for lunch./CorrespondentCarmel Loise Matus