Baricuatro fumes, says she's 'prepared for war' against 'hypocrite' Soco

Local

A BREWING political clash at the Cebu Capitol finally spilled into the open after Gov. Pamela Baricuatro declared she is “prepared for war” against Vice Gov. Glenn Anthony Soco over questions surrounding a proposed tax settlement with a quarrying firm.

In a press conference on Wednesday, March 11, Baricuatro slammed Soco, who publicly questioned a proposed compromise settlement involving the tax liabilities of Apo Land and Quarry Corporation (ALQC).

“I don’t know what he’s trying to do. Is he preparing for war? Because I am prepared for war,” Baricuatro said.

The dispute centers on a proposal that would reduce the Cebu Provincial Government’s P1.218-billion tax assessment against ALQC to about P211.56 million.

The compromise settlement still requires approval from the Cebu Provincial Board (PB).

Baricuatro earlier addressed the possible compromise on, March 4, which on March 6, Soco in his own press conference and said they were suprised that the governor shed light on the matter.

He stressed that the board must first decide whether entering into a compromise agreement is justified before tackling the amount stated in the proposal.

The settlement had already been listed on the Provincial Board’s agenda on February 23, but the body deferred discussions during its regular session that day.

Baricuatro, however, said her issue is not with the Provincial Board as an institution but with Soco himself.

“No, it’s not the legislative body, it’s Glenn per se,” she said.

The governor also explained that the proposed compromise did not originate from her office, saying ALQC approached the Provincial Legal Office to open negotiations while the case remains pending in court.

Baricuatro rejected allegations circulating online that the proposed settlement involved a “backdoor deal.”

“My conscience is clear. There was no backdoor negotiation,” she said.

She also called Soco a “hypocrite,” pointing out that he previously authored a resolution supporting a similar compromise settlement during the administration of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

At the time, Soco served as a member of the Cebu Provincial Board and supported a measure that reduced the tax liability of Dolomite Mining Corporation from P855.9 million to P56.31 million.

Provincial officials said the ALQC settlement resulted from months of court-supervised mediation that began in August 2025 through proceedings facilitated by the Philippine Mediation Center.

During mediation, ALQC initially offered P6.18 million on August 5, 2025, and later increased the amount to P10 million on September 3, 2025, but the provincial government rejected both offers.

The province issued a revised billing statement on the same day, lowering the assessment to P645.29 million after removing extraction taxes, surcharges, and correcting the computation of Environmental Enhancement Fees for earlier years.

ALQC later offered P51.56 million in October 2025 and P150 million during mediation hearings before the Regional Trial Court in December 2025, but both proposals were also declined.

After several months of negotiations, both parties agreed in January 2026 to a final compromise settlement of P211,560,530.35.(MyTVCebu)