Pablo P. Garcia

Pablo Paras Garcia (born September 25, 1925) is a Filipino politician. A graduate of the University of San Carlos, Garcia placed 3rd in the 1951 Philippine Bar Examination with a rating of 91.5%.^[1] Garcia served as governor of Cebu from 1995 to 2004. He had previously served as the vice-governor of Cebu from 1969 to 1971. Garcia has been elected to three terms as a Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. From 1987 to 1995, Garcia represented the Third District of Cebu. He was again elected to Congress in 2007, this time representing the Second District of Cebu.^[2][3]

His daughter Gwendolyn succeeded him as governor in 2004, while his son Pablo John was elected to Garcia's previous congressional seat in 2007. In 2007, the Garcia family established the One Cebu political party. Garcia is also a member of Lakas Kampi CMD.

His son, Byron, the former security consultant for the Cebu provincial government, gained attention in 2007 after instituting a program of choreographed exercise routines for the inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) and uploading the routines on YouTube, including the popular Thriller viral video. Garcia's other son, Winston, is the former president and general manager of the Government Service Insurance System (Philippines). In 2010 his son Nelson Gamaliel was elected in large margin as Mayor of Dumanjug, Cebu. At the same time Marlon,the younger brother of Nelson Gamaliel was also elected Vice-Mayor of the Municipality of Barili, Cebu.^[4]

Pablo P. Garcia of the Second District of Cebu made a mark in the 14th Congress as the congressman who “rocked the House” when at its opening session, he initially challenged the speakership bid of Jose de Venecia, Jr. with fiery speeches on the manner of electing a Speaker and the conduct of House proceedings. He was, however, elected Chairman of the Committee on Revision of Laws on 7 August 2007; and, when the House leadership was changed, he was consequently appointed Deputy Speaker in May 2008.

Deputy Speaker Garcia’s tenure as Member of the 14th Congress is actually a continuation of his tenure during the 8th and 9th Congresses where he pitted his acumen as a respected legal luminary and constitutionalist among his peers. During his incumbency in said Congresses, representing the 3rd District of Cebu, he authored/sponsored 780 bills and 2 resolutions and co-authored/sponsored 347 bills and 69 resolutions. Out of the 780 he principally authored bills, 15 were signed into laws while 94 of the 347 bills he co-authored were also enacted into laws.

Notable of the laws Deputy Speaker Garcia authored from 1987 to 1995 were RA 6809 which lowered the age of majority from 21 to 18 years old; RA 6850 which grants Civil Service Eligibility to public school teachers who have rendered 5 years of continuous and efficient service; RA 6733 which grants members of both Houses of Congress general authority to administer oaths; RA 7659 which declared certain crimes as heinous crimes punishable with death; RA 7975 which redefined the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan; RAs 7691 and 7902, both amending the Judiciary Act 1980; and RA 6968, October 24, 1990 “an Act Punishing the Crimes of Coup d’etat by amending Art. 134, 135 and 136 of the Revised Penal Code.

For this Congress, Deputy Speaker Garcia returned as a representative of the 2nd District of Cebu. As of 31 July 2009, he has principally filed 24 bills, delivered 13 privilege speeches and co-authored/sponsored 33 bills and 40 resolutions. Of the bills he principally authored, one (Amendment to the Cooperative Code of the Philippines) has been enacted into law (RA 9520), five were transmitted to and are now pending with the Senate, and four are being considered on Second Reading. Of the 73 measures he co-authored, 7 bills have been enacted into law (RAs), 18 bills and a Joint Resolution were transmitted to and are pending Senate action, 28 resolutions were adopted by the House, while 3 bills and 2 resolutions are under Second Reading consideration. As a respected legal luminary and constitutionalist of the 14th Congress, Deputy Speaker Garcia rendered his expert’s opinion on several controversial issues notable of which were RA 9372 of the Human Security Act, the Cheaper Medicines Bill, the issuance of arrest warrants, the aborted GRP-MILF Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain, the “Hello Garci” scandal and the proposed automated election on May 2010.

As the elected representative of the Second District of the Province of Cebu, Deputy Speaker Pablo P. Garcia makes sure that the basic services and development projects coursed through his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) are equally distributed among the municipalities in his district. With just a 70 million-peso allocation, he always ensures that all Local Government Units get their respective share every tranche of the budget releases. This is because he believes that a balanced budget is a potent instrument in ensuring a long term sustainable development and economic stability,

For the 14th Congress, Deputy Speaker Garcia has implemented in his district the following social services projects that benefit economically disadvantaged but deserving constituents: Scholarship for the Poor Program and Financial Assistance for hospitalization of indigent patients and families affected by severe calamities. Similarly, he was instrumental in facilitating the upgrading of District Hospitals; the construction/upgrading/concreting of barangay, municipal, provincial and national roads; construction of public markets, multi-purpose buildings, school classrooms and buildings such as the imposing four-storey Cebu State College of Science and Technology in Bitoon, Dumajug Campus, and other various development projects in support of the Local Government Units within the district

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