Negros Occidental DILG chief dies

BACOLOD CITY—The director of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Negros Occidental died on Wednesday (Oct. 27).

Ferdinand Panes died of a heart disease at the St. Paul’s Hospital, his brother, Anthony, said.

Wake for Panes would be at the Pavia Multipurpose Center in Pavia, Iloilo province from Nov. 2-7. Burial will be at the Garden of the Ascencion.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the department will provide help and benefits to Panes’ family.

In a statement, Ano said Panes had been on the frontline of delivering government service. “He was a beacon of excellence,” Ano said of Panes.

Panes, Ano added, “braved the threat of the pandemic every single day if only to serve the people” despite the risks of higher vulnerability to coronavirus because of his age.

Año said the DILG will honor Panes.

TSB