In the wake of public scrutiny following the untimely passing of Juan Paolo “Paowee” Tantoco, his mother, Nena Tantoco, issued a deeply personal message to family, friends and close communities, expressing both grief and concern over the narratives surrounding her son’s death.
She sought to clarify details regarding the initial findings of the autopsy report issued by the Los Angeles coroner’s office, which has since circulated widely online, altered in some instances, according to Malacañang Palace.
“This is about Paowee’s death and the partial autopsy report,” she wrote. “The reason it’s partial is because the organ-by-organ analysis, toxicology, and full autopsy report are not yet done.”
Citing early findings, she stated: “The report says death by accident, cocaine effects and heart disease.” However, she noted that many reports circulating online have selectively focused on just one aspect.
“Social media and news, as expected, are spreading cocaine overdose (as cause of death), leaving out other details, including that the full report is still pending,” she said.
“Media will magnify the drug use in order to create drama — even if it adds to the misery and grief that our family is already experiencing, and even if it assassinates the character of the good person that is Paowee,” she said. “Their intention is more malicious than it is to convey the truth.”
In one letter to an online news organization, she chided it for insinuating that the cocaine had anything to do with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
The matriarch said her son only accompanied his wife, Dina, the social secretary of Mrs. Marcos, in the latter’s trip to the United States to promote the Manila International Film Festival.
She said her son died in his and his wife’s hotel room. “The First Lady was not involved in our son’s death… the partial autopsy report is open for you to see… no wer (sic) did it say our son died of overdose.”
Likewise, she said their business has been affected by the circulating stories.
“The media will omit the fact that Paowee was a very good person who positively improved lives through his work and lifted the lives of the poor and marginalized. You all loved him and found him so humble, endearing, and caring, even amid his weaknesses.”
Her message closed with a quiet but hopeful call to prayer, invoking faith and community support in the face of mourning.
“I am sorry this had to happen. I pray with intensity to the Holy Trinity — especially the Holy Spirit — and the Holy Family that this, too will pass, and that this pain and grief will be turned into blessings of joy and peace and into more clarity of God’s loving plan for us,” she said.