The University of San Carlos joins the entire province in mourning the passing of former Cebu Representative and three-term Governor Pablo “Pabling” Garcia on Wednesday, August 20, 2021.

Garcia served as Cebu Governor from 1995 to 2004. Prior to that, he served as Cebu 3rd District Representative from 1987 to 1995. His public service began in 1951 in Dumanjug, Cebu where he served as a municipal councilor. He then became a senior board member of the province from 1967 to 1969 before being elected as Vice Governor from 1969 to 1971. He also served as Cebu 2nd District Representative from 2007 to 2013 and served as the House Deputy Speaker of the 14th and 15th Congresses.

Garcia scored 91.5 percent and placed 3rd in the 1951 Bar Examination, while classmate Fortunato Vailoces placed 5th. This catapulted the then fledgling USC College of Law into the national landscape. Then rector Fr. Albert van Gansewinkel ordered the cancellation of classes when news of this achievement arrived in Cebu.

Garcia graduated with his Bachelor of Laws magna cum laude on April 8, 1951. He was among the first batch of law students who entered the University after World War II.