Gwendolyn “Gwen” Fiel Garcia

Gwen Garcia’s father, Pablo Garcia, was Cebu’s governor for nine years, from 1994 to 2004. The younger Garcia succeeded her father thereafter, and became the first woman to serve as Cebu’s governor. Like her father, she held the position of governor for three consecutive terms—all of nine years—until 2013, when she was elected as the representative of the third congressional district of Cebu. She served in Congress until 2019. Later the same year, Garcia once again ran for governor of the province of Cebu, and won by a margin of almost 300,000.

Despite being hounded by several controversies throughout her many years in government, Garcia continues to demonstrate strength and perseverance. In October 2021, Garcia filed her certificate of candidacy for governor of Cebu in the 2022 elections. She has been called “the Iron Lady of the Southern Philippines.”