Byron gets funeral flowers, bullets

CEBU, Philippines — Allegedly because of his social media post attacking incumbent Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro, Byron Garcia, brother of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia, was sent funeral flowers and seven rounds of live ammunition delivered to the subdivision where he lives in Barangay Pooc, Talisay City, last Friday evening, March 13.

Based on the incident report from the homeowners association (HOA), an e-bike driver, whose identity is being withheld, was allegedly paid ?100 by an unidentified man to drop off a brown paper bag at the guardhouse of the subdivision around 7:30 P.M.

The bag contained the funeral flowers, seven pieces of 5.56mm rounds --commonly used for an M16 rifle-- and a distorted image of Byron with a note reading “R.I.P. Mr. ‘PUTAK’.”

Byron said he wants to think of the incident as only a “prank” by his friends.

“I am bound to believe nga prank na siya sa atong mga amigo diha,” he said in an interview yesterday.

“Daghan ta og amigong mga gagoy… Para nako, it’s a prank. Nothing to be alarmed,” he added.

If it indeed was a prank, he said those involved shouldn’t involve his family and the rest of the community.

“Whoever was sending me that prank, ayaw lang ingon ana nga daghang ma-involve ang community ma-involved, ang ako pamilya ma-involve. Prank gani, kanang ako ra,” he said.

But he also isn’t discounting the fact that it could be a genuine threat to his life.

He said that while he was on his way home, his wife called to tell him the subdivision's head security said something had been delivered for him.

He added that the security personnel were also wondering why funeral flowers were being delivered, although there was no funeral reception being held in the subdivision.

He said the items came three hours after he made a post about Baricuatro who he alleged to have benefited from the Apo Land and Quarry Corp. (ALQC).

“Wala man koy laing kontra. So, I was wondering kinsa may magkomedya nako og ingon ana ba. So, tan-aw nako kani tingali akong gi-vlog kay three hours after man gud after ko nagpagawas og post parte atong niingon ko’g ‘paldo na si Pamela sa APO Cement’,” he said.

Additionally, Byron recounted that sometime last February 24, the HOA president notified him that Baricuatro's daughter, Elisse Nicole Catalan, had sent a letter to the subdivision to confirm his address.

“Prior to that, on February 24, nag-istorya ang amoang president nga nangayo diay si Nicole Catalan, anak ni (Baricuatro), og confirmation nga naa ba ko nagpuyo diha sa (subdivision) through a letter,” he recalled.

However, the HOA president didn’t divulge any confidential information about their members in the subdivision.

Byron said these schemes are nothing new to him, but he worries about their impact on his family and other homeowners in the subdivision who were shocked and alarmed by the situation, prompting him to seek assistance from the police.

“Sila moy naratol og maayo, nakuyawan sila. Pero ako, di naman ko makuyawan og ingon ana kay sauna pa na,” he said.

Meanwhile, the subdivision's HOA president confirmed that this was the first time something suspicious was delivered there.

She also shared that the e-bike driver who delivered the paper bag was unable to enter the subdivision in compliance with their protocols when it comes to the entry of people and delivery of goods within the subdivision.

The e-bike driver later said he was only asked to deliver the bag by an unidentified man, described as having a slim physique, wearing a hat, a bonnet, and a face mask, claiming to be from Minglanilla, Cebu.

The HOA president added that the man asked the e-bike driver for directions to the subdivision because he was supposed to deliver a gift for his father. The man also asked the e-bike driver to deliver the bag on his behalf and gave him ?100 as delivery fee.

Talisay City Police Station personnel went to the subdivision after receiving a call from Byron and brought the bullets to the station as evidence. They had no comment about the incident as of press time. (CEBU NEWS)