Governor of Cebu

The governor of Cebu (Filipino: Punong Lalawigan ng Cebu) is the chief executive of the provincial government of Cebu, Philippines. The first governor appointed by the Spanish Crown was Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, and during the American Era, Julio Llorente became governor on April 16, 1899, although Luis Flores and Arcadio Maxilom served in the same position in 1898 and 1899, respectively.

Governor of Cebu
Gobernador sa Probinsya sa Sugbo
Incumbent Pamela Baricuatro since June 30, 2025
Style	The Honorable
Seat	Cebu Provincial Capitol
Appointer	Elected via popular vote
Term length	3 years, not eligible for re-election immediately after three consecutive terms
Inaugural holder	Miguel Lopez de Legazpi
Formation	August 6, 1569

The incumbent governor is Pamela Baricuatro, who is currently serving since June 30, 2025. ^[1] She defeated Gwendolyn Garcia in an upset victory as someone who has never held an elective office.^[2]

History

On August 6, 1569, King Philip II appointed Miguel Lopez de Legazpi as the first governor of the province of Cebu. His appointment was conducted just a few years after the Spanish settlement was established on the island.^[3]

The Cebu provincial government was divided into rival factions before the impending U.S. invasion in 1899. On December 30, 1898, Luis Flores was elected and assumed office as governor the next day, with his office being confirmed in another election held on January 10, 1899. Flores remained governor outside of the city even while Julio Llorente became governor on April 16, 1899. The situation was further complicated when on March 29, 1899, General Arcadio Maxilom was appointed military governor during the resistance against the American forces.^[4]

List of governors of Cebu

List of governors of Cebu

No.	Portrait	Governor	Term	Place of origin	Ref.
1		Julio A. Llorente May 22, 1863 – 1955[5] (age 91–92)	1899–1901	Argao, Cebu	[4]
2		Juan Clímaco December 24, 1859 – July 16, 1907 (age 47)	1902–1906	Toledo, Cebu	[6]
3		Sergio Osmeña September 9, 1878 – October 19, 1961 (age 83)	1906–1907	Cebu City, Cebu	[7]
4		Dionisio Jakosalem May 8, 1878 – July 1, 1931 (age 53)	1907–1912	Dumanjug, Cebu	[8]
5		Manuel A. Roa 1872 – ????	1912–1922	Cebu City, Cebu	[4]
6		Arsenio Climaco June 24, 1870 – November 15, 1952 (age 82)	1922–1930	Toledo, Cebu	[9]
7		Mariano Jesús Cuenco January 16, 1888 – February 25, 1964 (age 76)	1931–1934	Carmen, Cebu	[10]
8		Sotero Cabahug April 22, 1891 – December 15, 1963 (age 72)	1934–1937	Mandaue, Cebu	[9]
9		Buenaventura P. Rodriguez July 14, 1893 – December 9, 1940 (Age 47)	1937–1940	Bogo, Cebu	[9]
10		Hilario Abellana October 23, 1896 – January 15, 1945 (Age 48)	1941–1943	Cebu City, Cebu	[11]
11		Jose Delgado	1943–1944	Unknown	[4]
12		Jose Leyson April 23, 1895 – 1945 (Age 49 or 50)	1944–1945		[4]
13		Fructuoso B. Cabahug January 20, 1897 – December 24, 1961 (Age 64)	1945–1946	Mandaue, Cebu	[12]
14		Manuel A. Cuenco November 10, 1907 – October 18, 1970 (Age 62)	1946–1951	Cebu City, Cebu	[13]
15		Sergio Osmeña Jr. December 4, 1916 – March 26, 1984 (Age 67)	1951–1955	Cebu City, Cebu	[14]
16		Jose Briones February 10, 1916 – ????	1956–1961	Mandaue, Cebu	[15]
17		Francisco Remotigue July 14, 1908 – April 29, 1995 (Age 86)	1961–1963	Argao, Cebu	[9]
18		Rene Espina December 6, 1929 – September 13, 2019 (Age 89)	1964–1969	Cebu City, Cebu	[16]
19		Osmundo Rama September 23, 1914 – November 13, 1998 (Age 84)	1969–1976	Cebu City, Cebu	[17]
20		Eduardo Gullas October 13, 1930 (Age 94)	1976–1986	Cebu City, Cebu	[18]
21		Osmundo Rama September 23, 1914 – November 13, 1998 (Age 84)	1986–1988	Cebu City, Cebu	[17]
22		Lito Osmeña September 11, 1938 – July 19, 2021 (Age 82)	1988–1992	Cebu City, Cebu	[14]
23		Vicente dela Serna September 13, 1951 – September 1, 2018 (Age 66)	1992–1995	Butuan, Agusan del Norte	[19]
24		Pablo P. Garcia September 25, 1925 – August 18, 2021 (Age 95)	1995–2004	Dumanjug, Cebu	[20]
25		Gwendolyn Garcia October 12, 1955 (Age 69)	2004–2012	Cebu City, Cebu
—		Agnes Magpale (acting) January 21, 1942 (Age 83)	2012– 2013	Danao, Cebu
26		Hilario Davide III August 25, 1964 (Age 60)	2013–2019	Cebu City, Cebu	[21]
27		Gwendolyn Garcia October 12, 1955 (Age 69)	2019–2025	Cebu City, Cebu	[1]
28		Pam Baricuatro November 9, 1966 (Age 58)	2025–	Cebu City, Cebu	[22]

Elections

• 2001 Cebu local elections
• 2004 Cebu local elections
• 2007 Cebu local elections
• 2010 Cebu local elections
• 2013 Cebu local elections
• 2016 Cebu local elections
• 2019 Cebu local elections
• 2022 Cebu local elections
• 2025 Cebu local elections

See also

• List of vice governors of Cebu