Assorted furniture made by exporter Maitland-Smith “on loan” to former governor and now Rep. Pablo Garcia.
Framed paintings and photos of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
Religious images of the Sto. Niño and San Pedro Calungsod on a side table.
The Office of the Governor has Garcia’s personal touch in every corner.
This will all change when a new, but temporary occupant, moves in – acting Gov. Agnes Magpale.
An ongoing inventory of contents of the padlocked office will identify which possessions will be set aside and turned over to the suspended governor, who can no longer return to the office.
Garcia had hoped to occupy it until June 30 when her term ends but the schedule of packing up is being advanced in the aftermath of her six-month suspension order, which she continues to protest.
The inventory will take at least one week, said lawyer Dara Acusar, spoksperson of Magpale.
“We’re not in a hurry to take over the office,” said Acusar.
She said Magpale’s first priority was to vacate her own office in the Legislative Building so that acting Vice Gov. Julian Daan can use it.
Acusar said they are looking at occupying the legislative lounge at the 2nd floor as a temporary office for Magpale.
For now, Acusar said there have been no discussions about whether to do renovations or redesign interiors of the Governor’s Office.
Garcia’s lawyers have deplored as “illegal” the Jan. 30 padlocking of the office, a move ordered by the acting governor after learning that Garcia had slipped out to visit supporters in Oslob town, south Cebu.
For six weeks, Garcia had refused to vacate the office in defiance of a six-month suspension order issued by the Office of the President which found her guilty of grave abuse of authority in her previous dealings with the late Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr.
Garcia earlier said the police wold have to forcibly evict her “over my dead body”.
Garcia’s stay-in protest, interrupted only by her brief outing to dance in the Sinulog grand finale last Jan. 20, ended with her being locked out after her first out-of-town sortie.
A yellow police tape warns the public that access to the office, including a lobby floor entrance door, is off limits.
INTERIORS
Visitors will no longer get to see the interiors of the Governor’s Office, whose decor resembles a private, wood-panelled study with several images of Garcia on the walls and framed photos on side tables.
The office desk, upholstered visitor chairs, couches, side tables and cabinets are products of Cebu furniture exporter Maitland-Smith.
The heavy desk with gold trim was the same one used by her father Pablo Garcia when he was Cebu governor for three terms.
A brass label inside a pullout drawer of the center table for visitors identifies the furniture as owned by Garfield Dev. Co. “on loan to Pablo Garcia”.
A striking feature of the office is the display of images of Gwen whose smiling face appears in several portraits and photos.
Across her office desk on the wall is an oil painting of Gwen dressed in Filipiniana. Children in angel costumes pose with her outside the Boljoon church. The painting was a gift from her mother, retired Judge Esperanza Garcia.
Another framed portrait hangs behind the table of her chief of staff, showing the governor riding a bicycle and wearing a Suroy Suroy Sugbo T-shrt.
Atop two round side tables are photos of Gwen, including one of her in a white gown walking on a Capitol red carpet being saluted by marine students.
In the receiving area, a long rectangular table displays her awards and plaques of recognition. Along the hallway hang framed photos of Garcia taking her oath of office as governor during her first term in 2004 until her third term in 2010.
In the conference room is a painting of Gwen in a pink off shoulder gown. In the hallway, two wooden rocking chairs and a long table are gifts from Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos. A photo of Imelda is placed atop the table.
RELIGIOUS ICONS
Several images of a red-robed Sto. Niño prominently occupy a side table, including one given by the mayor of Batangas City and an oversized icon given by the Army’s 78th Infantry Batallion. (A large Sto. Niño icon was the only personal belonging handcarried out by staff on Wednesday when the office was padlocked by the police and the Capitol administrator.)
On the wall is a framed portrait of the Sto. Niño by artist Antonio Vidal. Garcia recently told reporters looking at it would give her a “sense of peace”.
A Chinese vase behind the office desk is a gift from her brother Byron. A plaque showing the Seal of Good Housekeeping from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) was recently mounted on a wall, after the suspension order of the DILG broke out.
Acusar said all office items that bear a sticker identifying properties of the provincial government will remain. She said Acting Governor Magpale would have to wait until an inventory is completed.
Magpale earlier said some furniture has to be removed “because I don’t want to risk them getting damaged,” referring to Garcia’s personal belongings.