Friday, June 20, 2008 Lorega chief dies of heart attack
BARELY seven months in his post, Lorega Barangay Captain Lorenzo Monsanto died of a heart attack past midnight yesterday, temporarily setting aside conflicts among village officials.
Monsanto, 65, passed away with unresolved conflicts with his barangay council, the source of his anxiety and disappointment for the past months, his wife said.
Fe Monsanto said she and her husband were already sleeping when he suffered a heart attack at around 12:30 in the morning yesterday. He died minutes later.
She said Monsanto did not have any serious ailment but was always depressed because of problems in the barangay, among them his row with some barangay councilors.
The night before he died, Monsanto presided over a tension-filled barangay council session, where the controversy on the distribution of rice subsidy for barangay workers was tackled.
“His death was so sudden. He’s been facing a lot of problems here. He had a hard time because only one candidate for councilor in his slate made it to the council. Repressed tanan niyang gibati and na-depressed kay iya rang gidala-dala ang problema,” Fe told Sun.Star Cebu.
Monsanto’s remains lie in state at the Lorega Barangay Hall, which is being guarded by policemen and members of the barangay intelligence network (BIN).
Mayor Tomas Osmeña ordered the deployment of policemen there after hearing reports of attempted looting in the barangay.
Lorega Barangay Treasurer Leonardo Montecalvo said it was First Councilor Fritz Gerald Herrera who requested for the police security, for fear that the sacks of rice stored in the barangay hall would be stolen.
Deputy mayor
Sun.Star Cebu called Herrera for an interview, but he declined from giving any comment in deference to Monsanto’s family.
As first councilor, Herrera, 29, will assume as barangay captain and will be sworn into office by Osmeña this Monday.
The mayor recently designated Herrera as deputy mayor in the barangay.
Monsanto and Herrera were reportedly at odds with each other over the distribution of the sacks of rice, which were distributed by the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) as assistance to the barangay workers.
The rice subsidy was promised in 2006 yet, but the funding for it was released only this year.
Herrera reportedly wants the rice given only to the previous administration, the intended beneficiaries of the subsidy when the request was made two years ago.
But according to Montecalvo, Monsanto objected and said that the present administration is also entitled to it.
“For the sake of fairness ra man gyud to ang kang Kap. Ang iyaha lang gusto is maapud-apod ang bugas. Karon nga nahitabo ni, nagpatawag dayon sila ug pulis kay nagtuo siguro sila na kawaton ang bugas (Monsanto just wanted the rice distributed fairly. Now that this has happened, they immediately called for the police. Perhaps, they suspected that the rice will be stolen),” he said.
At his wake yesterday, Lorega residents mourned the loss of their barangay captain, who they said is a “helpful and honest public servant who prioritized the poor.”
Barangay officials also brushed off previous insinuations by his political foes that Monsanto allegedly coddled drug lords in the barangay and won the barangay elections using proceeds of the illegal drugs trade.
“Ug tan-awon nimo iyang pamilya ug ang ilang balay, pinobre ra na sila. Ing-ana ba ang (Look at his family and his house, they live simply. Is that the) lifestyle sa (of a) drug lord? Maayo gyud na siya na pagkatawo (That’s just his personality), accommodating sa tanan, approachable ug down to earth na leader,” Montecalvo said of Monsanto.
ABC President Eugenio Faelnar said they will be extending the standard P30,000 burial assistance given to their members.
Before he was elected as village chief, Monsanto served as first councilor for three consecutive terms. He was also barangay secretary in the 1980s. (LCR)
