Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on Tuesday announced that she has tendered her resignation as a member of the PDP-Laban political party.

Garcia said recent events in the province made clear that her continued membership is no longer tenable.

“Specifically, the complaint filed against me by (Cebu City) Mayor Michael Rama, vice president for the Visayas, with the Office of the President has created an irreconcilable conflict,” Garcia wrote in a letter addressed to PDP-Laban president Jose Alvarez dated May 28.

The governor said the complaint “questions her judgment and integrity” following her efforts to safeguard the provincial capitol’s cultural heritage through a duly issued memorandum.

Rama’s call for her suspension has made the continued membership with the party untenable, she said.

Garcia said her resignation would be for her and the party’s best interest.

“The current situation has unfortunately created an environment where my continued membership would be inimical to both the party and myself,” she added.

The governor expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to have contributed to PDP-Laban’s mission.

Rama himself is currently serving a six-month suspension, handed down early this month, for withholding the salaries of four city hall employees for 10 months.

The Court of Appeals dismissed the petition filed by Rama and seven other officials questioning their suspension for failure to cite meritorious grounds as to why they did not pursue other legal remedies before filing the petition for certiorari. (PNA)