Dr. Enrico Elumba, a three-term mayor of La Castellana town in Negros Occidental, suffered from a cardiac arrest while on the way to a Bacolod hospital and died at past 9 p.m. Monday, June 13.
He was 68.
Elumba had diabetes and suffered from difficulty in breathing, his nephew Fernando “Nonoy” Elumba said.
On Monday night he complained of chest pains at his home in La Castellana and asked to be brought to the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod where he was declared dead on arrival, his nephew said.
Mayor Rhumyla Mangilimutan said she ordered the flying of the Philippine flag in La Castellana at half-mast in honor of Elumba staring Tuesday morning.
Elumba served as mayor of La Castellana for three terms from 1998 to 2007.
He then returned to private practice and was known as a doctor to the poor, his nephew said.
Elumba who was known as “Dok” to the people of La Castellana and patients from neighboring towns and the hinterlands of the 5th District served his people well, former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela said in a post on his Facebook page.
He described the former mayor as a good man, trusted friend, loyal ally, true servant leader, outstanding mayor and doting grandfather.
Elumba ran for vice governor of Negros Occidental in 2010 as Coscolluela’s running mate.
Elumba’s friend, Efren Gerardino, said the former mayor’s practice as a community doctor opened for him the door to politics and local governance.
“I was an on-call technical assistant throughout his three terms as a mayor. I was at his side, when he established the waste management system that brought honor and prominence to La Castellana by garnering the hall of fame in the Clean and Green competition at the regional level and 3rd place at the national level,” Gerardino said.
Elumba is survived by his wife, Josephine Carreon Elumba, and their children Enrico Jr., Eric Keith, Era Mae and Erikka.
His body will lie in state at the Acropolis Gardens in Bacolod City.*