The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) on Sunday extended condolences to Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia and the rest of her family after learning of the death of former Dumanjog Mayor Nelson Garcia and Barili Mayor Marlon Garcia.
PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar remembered the two mayors — brothers of the governor — for the development they made in their respective municipalities.
“Throughout the years as former chief executives of their respective local government units, they were instrumental towards the development of the municipalities of Dumanjog and Barili and that of its citizens,” he said in a statement.
He also extended prayers to their families and friends.
“We pray for the eternal repose of their souls and that their families find strength in this time of grief,” he added.
Last Sept. 1, former Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) chief Winston Garcia confirmed that his brother Nelson died.
“To my dearly beloved brother, words cannot express the deep sense of loss and grief for your untimely departure,” he said on Facebook, without giving details on his sibling’s cause of death.
Marlon’s death on Sept. 6 was also confirmed by Winston without stating the cause of death.
“To lose one brother is painful enough, but to lose another brother in the same week, my heart just cannot take any further. The true fighter that he was, my brother, Marlon has been fighting for his life for the last few weeks,” Winston said. “This morning, he joins my brother, Nelson, and my mother in heaven.”
The matriarch of the Garcia political clan, retired Judge Esperanza “Inday” Fiel Garcia died due to kidney failure in 2016.
At least six Cebu mayors had announced they tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 since the pandemic began in March.
