Dueñas, Iloilo vice mayor dies after accidental firearm discharge
Dueñas, Iloilo Vice Mayor Aimee Paz Lamasan has died following an accidental firearm discharge, Mayor Robert Pama confirmed.
Pama posted a tribute on Facebook on Thursday, Jan. 1, sharing how he and Lamasan went through ups and downs together as close colleagues.
"Through thick and thin, we're always together. You're always my partner in everything, my closest vice mayor. It hurts so much, I can't even bring myself to believe you're gone, we're so close, like brother and sister. There are no goodbyes between us, see you in the next life… I know we'll always be together…RIP to my beloved Vice Mayor," he wrote in a mix of Ilonggo and English.
Congressman Ferjenel Biron also paid tribute to Lamasan, whom he described as a hardworking and reliable public servant.
"She will be remembered as mapisan kag masaligan— a leader of integrity, compassion, and genuine service. Her legacy will live on in the hearts of the people she served and in the community she so dearly loved," he wrote in his Facebook post.
"Rest in peace, Vice Mayor Aimee. A life devoted to the service of others will never be forgotten," he concluded.
Lamasan was rushed to the hospital on Dec. 30 when she accidentally fired her gun in her residence in La Paz, Iloilo City.
Her live-in partner, Lord Byron Torrecarion, told Panay News that she was with Lamasan in their dining area at around seven in the morning when Lamasan was handling her firearm.
La Paz police said that their initial investigation found that Lamasan was preparing her belongings to attend an event in Dueñas. However, when she placed her gun in the safety box, it accidentally discharged, and she was shot in the stomach.
She was rushed to St. Paul's Hospital to receive treatment. She was initially reported in stable condition.
Lamasan was elected as the vice mayor of Dueñas in the 2025 midterm elections.