MANILA, Philippines — The “best eulogy tribute” for the late former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino is to recover and preserve the decency of the country’s leaders and the dignity of the people, Archbishop Socrates Villegas said Saturday.
“Eulogies have been written and spoken and shared, but the best eulogy tribute we can pay to our dear President Noy is to bring back, recover, preserve, safeguard, and never again compromise our dignity as a people and the decency of our leaders as servants, not bosses,” Archbishop Villegas said.
Villegas, the main celebrant of the funeral mass for Aquino at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, said that the flags flown at half-mast are not only for the dead president, “but for the dying decent governance.”
“Kung nagulat tayo sa kanyang biglang pagpanaw, magmasid tayo sana sa buong bansa. Hindi ba dapat din tayong magulat sa nagaganap sa ating paligid?”
(If you were shocked by his sudden death, let us look at what’s happening around us. Shouldn’t we also be shocked with what’s happening around us?)
Villegas likewise expressed hopes that Aquino’s death would “spark another fire within us to resurrect his example of decency and integrity.”
“What a brave headstrong visionary he was, visionary na matigas ang ulo. Sayang. He still had so much to teach us about decency and integrity. He still had so much to teach us about good governance and professionalism,” he said.
“The sincerest form of tribute to President Noy is to relive his life lessons of decency and ethical leadership, recover honor and dignity in our private and public lives, among us private citizens and among our leaders,” he added.
Aquino died in his sleep on the morning of June 24 due to renal disease secondary to diabetes.
He was 61.
Following the funeral mass, the urn carrying Aquino’s cremated remains will be taken to the Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque City for inurnment next to his parents.