Ex-Pagbilao mayor Romeo Portes, 73, dies a week after shooting

Romeo “Romar” Portes, former mayor of Pagbilao town in Quezon, died a week after he was shot in the face by an unidentified gunman, the Pagbilao local government said.

The former mayor died in a private hospital in Taguig City on Thursday, December 3, according to the official Facebook page of the Pagbilao municipal government. Portes was 73.

“Ang buong pamilya ng local government unit of Pagbilao ay nagdadalamhati sa pagkawala ng isang mabuting ama at mahusay na lingkod-bayan,” read the Pagbilao local government’s post on Saturday, December 5. (The entire family of the local government unit of Pagbilao is mourning the loss of a good father and excellent public servant.)

A Manila Bulletin report also quoted Portes’ daughter, incumbent Pagbilao Mayor Shieree Ann Portes Palicpic, confirming the death of her father. 

“Nagpapasalamat po kami sa inyong pag-aalala at pagmamahal. Masakit man, ang amin pong ama ay lumisan na. It was a good fight. Pero nais po siyang makapiling ng Poong Lumikha,” said Palicpic. (We are grateful for all your concern and love. Though it pains us, our father has already left us. It was a good fight. But God our Creator now wants to be with him.)

“Dumating na po siya sa aming tahanan. Patuloy na panalangin, para po sa aming ama, para sa aming pamilya, para sa bayan ng Pagbilao, at para sa hustisya,” she added.  (He has arrived at home. Please continue praying, for our father, for our family, for the town of Pagbilao, and for justice.)

On November 24, a motorcycle-riding gunman shot Portes in the face while seated outside a structure owned by his daughter in Barangay Bukal, Pagbilao, reports said.

Portes was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, but he succumbed to the gunshot wound 9 days later.

His family already offered a P500,000 bounty to anyone who can provide information on the mastermind behind the former mayor’s killing. – Rappler.com

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story said Portes was killed in Taguig City. We have corrected this story to say he was killed in Barangay Bukal, Pagbilao.