Eruf pioneer Cortes laid to rest

Hundreds of friends and relatives said their goodbyes to one of the pioneers of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF), Dr. Herminio Cortes, as he was laid to rest at the Mandaue cemetery yesterday.

Eruf volunteers in 30 vehicles joined the convoy that took Cortes’s remains to its final resting place at the Cortes family tomb.

“Padayon na gyud og sulod sa iyang coffin sa nitso nitulo gyud ang akong luha, mahinumdom ko sa among panag-uban sukad pa sa una isip maoy mga pioneer niining ERUF nga kanhi Mandaue Rescue Unit foundation (I cried when his coffin was placed at the niche because I remembered our camaraderie since we are pioneers of Eruf, which was the Mandaue Rescue Unit Foundation before),” said Medardo Batiller, Eruf operations head, in an phone interview.

Batiller said he would work diligently to continue his responsibilities with Eruf in honor of Cortes.

“He still has many projects for the Eruf. We’ll try to make these happen together with our chairman, Dr. Pek-eng Lim. We’ll always think that he’ll still be looking over us),” Batiller said in Cebuano.

Batiller said that they started the Mandaue Rescue Unit Foundation with only 13 people.

Now, Eruf has 500 people consisting mostly of volunteers, including nurses and doctors.

“Tanang tawo mao gyud ni padulnga. Mahinumdom ko sa iyang mga paggiya isip akong maguwang, usa siya ka ehemplo. Mao kitang mga nahibilin maningkamot gyud ta nga mahinumduman ang atong kinabuhi sa atong kaayo (All people always end here. I always remember my brother for his guidance and his example to the family. That’s why the one’s who’re left behind should strive harder to make our lives better),” said Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, Dr. Herminio’s younger brother.

Dr. Herminio’s casket left the Cortes Compound at 8 a.m. yesterday and was brought to the Eruf base at Banilad, Cebu City.

From the Eruf base, a convoy of cars following the hearse went to the St. Joseph National Shrine where  the burial mass was held.

Dr. Herminio Cortes died on March 1 after being confined for a month at the hospital. He died of a cardio-respiratory attack.