Town mayor dies of lingering illness

Thursday, February 9, 2012

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- The municipal mayor of Arakan in North Cotabato died due to a lingering illness in a hospital in Davao City on Tuesday, reports said.

Mayor Gerardo Tuble of Arakan was survived by his wife, seven children, and 13 grandchildren.

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He died after a short bout with cancer, his relatives said.

Tuble's eldest daughter Girlie, 38, said his father was diagnosed to have a lung cancer, which was already on its third stage, last quarter of 2011.

Cotabato Governor Lala Mendoza said the depression brought about by the killing in October last year of Fr. Fausto Tentorio of Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (Pime) has added emotional stress on Tuble.

"Fr. Tentorio's death has affected so much Tuble that it worsened his health," the governor said. "The mayor and the priest were best of friends. It saddened him that the priest was killed during his term and that until his death, the priest's death has remained a puzzle.”

Tuble was declared dead around 2 p.m. Tuesday while he was on his way back home from the Davao Doctors Hospital in Davao City.

The family decided to bring Tuble home after he refused to take his medicines.

"He might have a premonition that he's going to die so he wanted to go back home. The family was already preparing for his travel when he expired," Mendoza said.

The governor is hoping for a smooth transition in the town's leadership.

By law of succession, the town's vice mayor becomes the acting mayor and the first councilor becomes the vice mayor and the presiding officer of the Municipal Council, while the eight member of the council would be decided by the party of the majority.

Tuble would be buried on February 25.