Two days before he was killed in his bedroom, Ramgen Bautista and his sister Ma. Ragelyn “Gail” Bautista-Furuyama exchanged heated text messages that offer a glimpse into the disturbed state of a family fathered by former Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr.
The monthly allowance provided by the father, also a former movie actor/producer, was insufficient for the nine siblings and their mother Genelyn Magsaysay, so much so that the household’s basic needs were not being met, according to the text messages between Ramgen and Gail.
The Inquirer obtained a printout of the text messages in Filipino, as recovered from Ramgen’s mobile phone, as well as copies of the testimonies of witnesses and some of the murder suspects.
What emerged from the documents was that money issues strained the relations among Ramgen (the eldest of the siblings), Gail, and another sister, Ma. Ramona “Mara” Bautista.
Ramgen (known as Ram Revilla in show biz) was shot dead by a masked assailant in the family residence in BF Homes, Parañaque City, on Oct. 28. He was 23. At least seven persons—including Mara, who has since fled the country, and another sibling, Ramon Joseph (“RJ”), who is now in detention—are accused of the murder of Ramgen and the attempted murder of his girlfriend, Janelle Manahan.
Gail has been implicated in the murder by Glaiza Visda, one of the suspects who recently surrendered to police. Vizda formalized her allegation in a sworn statement submitted to the Parañaque Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday.
Visda also claimed that Ryan Pastera, the only suspect who remains at large, was friends with Gail’s husband, Hiro Furuyama.
‘Badmouthing me’
On the evening of Oct. 26, Ramgen sent a text message to Gail, whom he called Ga, demanding his share of the family allowance.
“You’ve already badmouthed me to Daddy and now this. It’s too much, Ga,” Ramgen said.
Gail denied that she was withholding his share, and explained that the money coming from their father was “not enough” because of “the bills that Mommy paid last month (September).”
“Daddy reduced the allowance because he was furious with Mommy,” Gail said. “The allowance was just exact… 200K (P200,000). Because Daddy was angry at Mommy, he made it 150K (P150,000).”
In Ramgen’s succeeding message, he thanked Gail for the information and insisted that she quit telling their father stories about him and repeatedly recalling instances in their past—“like when I tried to strangle you (sinakal kita).”
“I only ask that you stop disparaging me to Daddy because that is not right,” Ramgen said. He added that Gail’s stories to their father were either padded or shaved and involved inconsequential quarrels, and that he had sent a message to Mara expressing hope that things would be patched up among the siblings: “Dagdag-bawas kasi Ga yung mga kwento mo kay Daddy … at lahat puro past na walang kwentang away … Nagtxt ako kay Mara kanina na sana maayos na lahat at magkabati-bati na.”
Bouncing checks
The following day, Ramgen reiterated his request for his share of the allowance. But Gail told him she would be asking their father for more money in the coming week.
Ramgen bristled at the delay and accused his sister of intentionally leaving him out of his share so he would again get their father’s ire.
Gail blamed Ramgen and their mother for the family’s strained finances, saying it was their fault that “all of the allowance went to the payment of bills.” She went on to tell him that even the younger siblings had to take a cut in their own allowances to make ends meet.
She suggested that Ramgen talk to their mother and inquire what was happening with their finances.
Ramgen appeared to be infuriated by Gail’s tack, and he again assailed her for putting him in a bad light before their father.
Gail countered that some of the checks issued by their mother had been bouncing because of lack of funds. She said this was why the latter was not able to settle the household’s electricity bill for September.
“Mommy asked for money from Mara, and me for the [electricity bill] because her checks bounced,” Gail said. “She borrowed money from me. Mara and I shelled out 15k (P15,000) but up to now, the bill hasn’t been paid.”
No food in the house
Ramgen again said Gail was badmouthing him to their father.
Gail said that it was their younger siblings who had brought up the issue, and that as far as she was concerned, she merely accompanied their mother and the children when they went out “because they don’t have food to eat in the house.”
“You’re making it hard for them. They don’t have a driver because you kept him to yourself and even the food. I pity the children,” she said.
Ramgen denied that he had kept all the food to himself, pointing out that the budget Gail had prepared for September did not provide for groceries.
He challenged his sister to a confrontation before the house help who, Gail had claimed, knew the family’s food situation.
Quoting the house help, Gail said Ramgen was cutting their siblings’ access to the family’s food supply.
She said she was not supposed to meddle in the household’s affairs because she had her own family now, but that their father had asked her to straighten things out.
Gail told Ramgen to take stock of himself, particularly how he treated his siblings.
“You should change yourself. That’s why the people in the house don’t like you, because they don’t like your behavior,” she said.
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