Country mourns President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III’s passing
MANILA – Various groups and entities expressed sadness over the passing of former President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III yesterday said to be due to renal disease and diabetes complications.
In Malacanang, President Rodrigo Duterte the country expresses its sincerest thanks to his predecessor for his “service to our country.”
Speaking at an official function at the Presidential Palace late yesterday afternoon, President Duterte expressed hope Filipinos “will be inspired by his legacy.”
He earlier signed Proclamation No. 1169 hours after the former chief executive was declared dead on arrival at the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City Thursday morning.
President Duterte declared a 10-day period of national mourning from yesterday until July 3,2021.
“In this regard, the national flag shall be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on all government buildings and installations throughout the Philippines and abroad for a period of 10 days,” said Duterte.
According to the current Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, flags at half-mast means “a sign of mourning on all buildings and places where it is displayed” and should begin on the day the death of a public official was announced.
The flying of flags at half-mast would last for 10 days in the case of presidents while a period of seven days would apply for the vice president, chief justice, Senate president, and House speaker.
Meanwhile, at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Davao Archbishop and CBCP President said it was with deep sorrow that he and his fellow bishops received the news of the passing for former President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III.
“The bishops in the Philippines will remember President Aquino for his deep dedication to democracy, good governance and the dignity of the human person,” the CBCP statement disclosed.
Archbishop Valles expressed the Conference’s appreciation for the “mutual respect that existed between his administration and the Catholic Church in the Philippines, rooted in our unwavering faith in the Triune God, and our shared commitment to build a just, humane society, especially for those who are in need.”
The Conference also remembered with gratitude the role President Aquino and his government played in “ensuring the success of the Canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod in 2012, the Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis in 2015, and the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu City in 2016.”
The bishops expressed their solidarity with the Aquino family, friends and colleagues and the entire Filipino nation in mourning the passing of the former chief executive.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in a statement said President Aquino “lived a life of service to the country, first as a member of Congress, and eventually as President of the Republic of the Philippines.”
The former chief executive was credited for leading the nation through six years of sustained growth that helped uplift the lives of the Filipino people.
“It was under his administration that the Philippines received its first investment grade rating from an international credit rating firm,” the statement disclosed.
The BSP statement disclosed the department president’s support for their mandates and advocacies for a stronger and more capitalized central bank due to the release of its legally mandated equity infusion in 2012.
He was also credited for signing the law institutionalizing the Financial Inclusion Steering Committee, the governing body responsible for the implementation of the government’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion.
The BSP statement said President Aquino left a “legacy of democracy, good governance and accountability.” (Melo M. Acuna)
President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III (extreme right) exchange pleasantries with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Malacanang last December 17,2013. (Malacanang Photo Bureau)
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