BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR and WENDELL VIGILIA
PRESIDENT Duterte yesterday urged Filipinos to set aside their differences and pray for former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
“His memory and his family’s legacy of offering their lives for the cause of democracy will forever remain etched in our hearts,” he said in a statement.
Aquino is the son of two democracy icons, the late President Cory Aquino and assassinated senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino.
Vice President Leni Robredo said Aquino was “incorruptible” and a leader who was “indifferent to the trappings of power.” She said his death is “heart-breaking.”
“He tried to do what was right, even when it was not popular,” Robredo, who
ran under the then Aquino-led Liberal Party in 2016, said in a statement.
Condolences poured from current and former national and local government officials including former Vice President Jejomar Binay who served under the Aquino administration, former President Gloria Arroyo, lawmakers, and foreign governments like the United States and Germany.
Duterte signed Proclamation No. 1169, declaring June 24, 2021 to July 3, 2021 as a period of national mourning for Aquino’s passing.
The Liberal Party said the country lost one of the finest examples of what a president should be.
“Under his leadership, systematic corruption that had calcified for generations began to be dismantled. Nawala ang wang-wang sa kalsada, simbolo ng pang-aabuso ng makapangyarihan. Iginalang tayo ng buong mundo (The use of sirens, which is the symbol of power, vanished on the streets. We earned the respect of the whole world). Filipinos the world over could hold their head up high, knowing that the country was on an upward trajectory and that the topmost level of government was conducting itself with honor,” the LP said.
The LP also said Aquino can be best remembered for his line which he often says in his speech — “To leave the world better than we found it.”
Robredo, LP chairwoman, said she saw why her late husband, former interior secretary Jesse Robredo, described Aquino as “incorruptible, righteous and decent.”
“I also saw how unaffected by power he (Aquino) was. He remained very simple. It has been my greatest honor to have worked with him, even only for a while. It was a blessing to be his friend. Rest well, sir,” the Vice President said.
Binay said, “Noynoy and I may have had political differences during the last few years of his term, but that will not diminish the many years of friendship between our families.”
Arroyo, Aquino’s predecessor, said: “Aside from his own achievements, he will be remembered as part of the Aquino family that has contributed three important people to the history of our nation, Senator Ninoy Aquino and our 11th and 15th presidents, Cory and Noynoy Aquino.”
Aquino’s former spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, described his former boss as a funny person who is sharp and quick to retort. He also said Aquino has always tried his best to make sure that no Filipino will be left behind.
Former Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said Aquino served the Filipino people with dedication and humility and was always mindful of his role as “father of the nation.”
“In every meeting at which he presided, he did his homework – and required those who worked with him to be as thorough – in studying policy choices to ensure that the decisions would be beneficial to the people,” he said adding that Aquino was not unwilling to make unpopular decisions as he always thought of what would serve the Filipino’s long-term interests better.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III ordered the Senate flag flown at half staff.
“No matter what political side you’re on, when a former president passes away, the country mourns… His death diminishes us all. Sincerest condolences from the Senate and my family to the family of President Benigno Aquino III,” Sotto said.
Senate president pro tempore Ralph Recto said Aquino was a “profile of courage, a man of convictions” who “did not treat his office as theater where he was obliged to make grand gestures to incite his base or distract them from his mistakes.”
Senate majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said Aquino was a committed public servant “who was able to balance the weight of being an Aquino — carrying all history of the name, and all the expectations that came with it — while also carving a path for himself.”
Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon, who is Aquino’s party mate at the Liberal Party, said he has lost “a dear friend,” while the nation “lost a gentleman who served his country well, with honesty and sincerity and with the purest of intentions.”
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Aquino’s passing “is heartbreaking” as the former president passed on at “a relatively young age of 61.”
“He served his country very well with humility, honor and integrity. Even as President, he always managed to promptly respond to my messages, no matter how casual and trivial. It was indeed a privilege to have served with him – both in the Senate and the Executive Department, but more than that, to be his friend,” Lacson said.
The rest of the senators also extended their sympathies to the Aquino family on his passing.
At the House of Representatives, Speaker Lord Alan Velasco expressed the chamber’s “heartfelt sympathies and condolences” to the family.
“The nation mourns with you and celebrates the life of a man who dedicated his service to the country as a three-term representative of the second district of Tarlac in Congress, senator, and President of the Republic of the Philippines,” he said.
Deputy speaker Neptali “Boyet” Gonzales II, who was the majority leader during the whole Aquino administration, said Aquino pushed for various laws that further strengthened the economy and enabled the country to get steady investment-grade ratings in key credit-rating agencies.
Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., a staunch Aquino ally who is now the president of the National Unity Party (NUP), said Aquino’s passing is a big loss not only to his family and friends, but also to our country as a whole.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. paid tribute to former president Corazon Aquino for raising Noynoy and his siblings well and for the restoration of democracy in the country.
Locsin served as legal counsel and speechwriter of the Aquino matriarch.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said: “I knew him to be a kind man, driven by his passion to serve our people, diligent in his duties and with an avid and consuming curiosity for knowledge and the world in general. I have learned a lot from him. I saw him carry his title with dignity and integrity. It was an honor to have served with him. He will be missed.”
Leonen served as the Aquino government’s chief negotiator with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and was one of his appointees to the SC. — With Raymond Africa, Noel Talacay, Ashzel Hachero, and Victor Reyes
