Albay Capitol, offices fly flags at half-staff in honor of Noynoy Aquino

LEGAZPI CITY—As a sign of mourning on the passing on Thursday of former President Benigno Aquino III, the Albay provincial government ordered that the Philippine Flag be flown at half-staff in all government offices and public places in the entire province.

Albay Gov. Al Francis Bichara issued Executive Order No. 21 on Thursday directing all public government offices in the province to display their respective Philippine flags at half-staff as a sign of mourning.

Bichara said the flag at half-staff would be displayed from June 24 until July 4 as a gesture of the Albayanos’ respect for and in honor and recognition of the former president’s “exemplary service to the country and the Filipino people.”

Other Albay officials took to social media to express sadness over the passing of Aquino, popularly known as “Nonoy” or “Pnoy,” who died at 4:30 a.m. at the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City on Thursday.

Albay First District Rep. Edsel Lagman paid tribute to Aquino by recalling how the then President supported his major legislative agenda that led to the passage of significant statutes such as the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act, which took 13 years before it was enacted; the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012; the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013; and the Centenarians Act of 2016, which honors Filipino centenarians and grants them additional benefits and privileges.

Sorsogon Gov. Francis Chiz Escudero, a former congressman and senator, said he “was truly saddened to learn the passing of my long-time friend, former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, whose presidency from 2010 to 2016 has been admired by many here and abroad for his deep commitment to democracy, human rights, and curbing corruption.”

Escudero said Aquino’s understanding of the connection of poverty and corruption resonated well during his administration and influenced policies toward empowering the poor while holding public officials accountable for their misdeeds.

He added: “I am quite sure that the world mourns with your loved ones, but with grateful hearts for your contribution to the Filipino people as a public servant and a remarkable person. My heartfelt condolences to your family and I pray to God to give them strength in this difficult time. Paalam, PNoy.”

Albay Second District Rep. Joey Salceda said he was “deeply saddened and shocked by the sudden passing” of Aquino, whom he described as “my friend for many decades,” and who was his former classmate at the Ateneo de Manila University, where they studied in the same economics class taught by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo before she became president.

“President Aquino will be remembered for his sincere desire to serve the country, the best way he can… He sought to make governance more modern and responsive,” said Salceda.

Salceda recalled that it was under President Aquino’s term that budgeting became more participatory through the bottom-up budgeting (BUB) system.

His expansion of socioeconomic programs such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program continues to help lift millions out of abject poverty.

Salceda saud former President Aquino’s decision to expand socio-economic programs like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program continues to help millions out poverty; while his policy to involve the private sector in the country’s development “is also a model which continues to inform regional and national development.”

“On the world stage, the Philippines became recognized as a rising economic power and an active participant in solving the world’s problems” during Aquino’s presidency, he said.

Salceda, who was governor of Albay during the Aquino administration, said the then president’s support enabled the province to become one of the world’s leaders in disaster risk reduction, when Aquino initiated Project NOAH, a success story in disaster management and climate change adaptation.

Mayor Nelson Legacion of Naga City in Camarines Sur, meanwhile, said he was still in “a state of great disbelief by the very sudden passing of one of the greatest leaders our country has ever had.”

“We will forever uphold and fight for the legacies you have profoundly established, which undeniably brought great change to our country and unswerving hope to Filipinos,” said Legacion in a statement.

LZB