Jailed Toledo dad dies of heart attack

CEBU, Philippines - Toledo City Councilor Ricardo “Ric” Rafols Jr., who won last May although he was detained at the New Bilibid Prison during the campaign, succumbed to cardiac arrest Thursday afternoon at the Makati Medical Center.

Rafols had previously served as Toledo city mayor and later on, vice mayor.

His sister, Riza, confirmed to The Freeman the death of Rafols after seven months of suffering multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells which is a type of white blood cell normally responsible for producing antibodies.

Riza said that due to too much complication, his brother underwent dialysis.

“In the course of dialysis, he underwent cardiac arrest,” Riza said.

She said that they are still processing the documents with the Bureau of Corrections for the release of the body of Rafols so he could be brought back to Toledo City by Monday.

Riza said that Mayor John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña was able to talk to the attending doctor before Rafols was declared dead at 4:30 in the afternoon last Thursday.

“”Ric is now free! Free from the oppressive injustice of our corrupt judicial system,” said Osmeña in a text message to The Freeman.

Osmeña assured Rafols’ supporters and followers that he will carry his fight for the poor and the oppressed.

Rafols, 60, left his wife with four children ages 30 to 36.

Last year, the Regional Trial Court in Toledo City meted Rafols the penalty of reclusion perpetua or 20 to 40 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of malversation of public property.

He was ordered to pay the amount of P208,849.86 worth of government properties such as cook wares and kitchen utensils which he allegedly failed to return when his term as vice mayor of Toledo City ended in 2001.

Rafols served as the city’s mayor before he got elected vice mayor in 1996.

The court likewise meted Rafols the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office. Hermes ordered Rafols’ detention at the Toledo City jail pending appeal but later transferred to New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

Rafols was confined at the NBP hospital since December 19, 2012. He was transferred to Makati Medical Center on December 22, 2012 until his death.

Before the 2001 elections, Aurelio Espinosa was the city mayor and Rafols was the vice mayor.

In the May 2001 elections, Espinosa’s daughter, Arlene Zambo, ran for mayor against Rafols. Zambo won.

In the first year of her term, Zambo found out in an inventory that Rafols failed to return some city-owned properties and items. The City sent three demand letters to the former vice mayor.

When Rafols did not heed the demand letters and failed to return the items worth more than P200,000, the City filed a malversation complaint against him at the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.

Zambo ran for another term in 2004, then in 2007 and for vice mayor in 2010. Rafols repeatedly tried his luck against her but lost every time.

When Espinosa ran for mayor in 2010, Rafols challenged him and he again lost. Rafols ran for councilor along with Osmeña as independent candidates in the last May 13, 2013 elections and was elected number three among the ten city councilors even without him personally campaigning.

“I am saddened by the sudden demise of (Rafols). Although he ran and won as an independent candidate, he supported us,” said Gov. Hilario Davide III in a text message to The Freeman. —/JPM (FREEMAN)