Cebu governor’s brother Nelson Garcia dies

Former Dumanjug mayor Nelson Garcia died on Tuesday evening, September 1, the Cebu provincial government confirmed.

Garcia died at the Chong Hua Hospital on Tuesday evening, said a post by Sugbo News, the news site of the public information office (PIO) of Cebu Province.

The PIO did not disclose the reason for the death of Garcia, who is also the younger brother of Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia. The PIO made its announcement on Wednesday afternoon, September 2.

“Words cannot express the deep sense of loss and grief for your untimely departure,” said his brother Winston, describing the late Garcia as “the son, the brother and the husband and the father I wish and have always aspired to be.”

Dumanjug is almost 80 kilometers away from Cebu City and is where the Garcia clan is originally from.

The late Garcia served two terms as mayor from 2010 to 2016, according to the town’s official website. He lost his 2016 reelection to rival Efren “Gungun” Gica, and a bid to represent Cebu’s 7th Congressional District later on to John Peter Calderon in the 2019 election.

The Garcia’s hometown is the most vote-rich municipality in its district and is frequently listed as a “hot spot” by the Commission on Elections almost every campaign period due to frequent election-related violence. Garcia himself reported that his house was shot at the night before the 2016 election. (READ: Shooting, threats in Cebu town) – Rappler.com