Statement of Vice President Leni Robredo on the Passing of Former President Benigno S. Aquino III

Nalulungkot at nagluluksa ako at ang buong OVP family sa pagpanaw ni Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III. Nakikiramay kami sa kanyang pamilya at mga mahal sa buhay.

Sa panahong ito, una kong naaalala ang mga personal at partikular na bagay ukol sa kanya. How he always carried a copy of the Constitution in his pocket. How, in one of his State of the Nation Addresses, he stated: “Hangga’t nagsisilbi tayong lakas ng isa’t isa, patuloy nating mapapatunayan na, ‘the Filipino is worth dying for,’ ‘the Filipino is worth living for,’ at idadagdag ko naman po: ‘The Filipino is definitely worth fighting for.”  

Sinasagisag ng mga detalyeng ito ang diwa ng kanyang pagka-Pangulo. Patas ang tingin ni PNoy sa lahat sa ilalim ng batas. Tapat at may paninindigan siya sa tama at makatarungan. He was courageous in facing down the systemic ills of society, in dismantling long-entrenched systems of corruption, in standing up for the country in the international stage. Ginawa niya ito while occupying an office that he initially did not seek, and was in fact reluctant to run for. Pero nang tinawag siya, ibinuhos niya ang lahat ng enerhiya sa paglilingkod. He served with passion and a deep sense of commitment to the Constitution and the country.

Naaalala ko rin ang mga sandali na nagpakita siya ng kabutihang-loob sa akin. PNoy was a kind, steadying presence in the days after my late husband’s plane crash. Alam kong pareho kaming nagluluksa noon— nawalan ako ng asawa, at siya, ng kaibigan. He extended kindness to my daughters, at sinugurong matutugunan ang mga pangangailangan namin, even after Jesse’s death. Sinalamin nito ang malasakit na laging ipinapakita ni PNoy: May dignidad, hindi magarbo, pero ever-present.

He was a man of both kindness and toughness. And PNoy was, first and foremost, a man of integrity and honor, a man who always put the welfare of the people front and center. No amount of historical distortion can change the truth: That every decision he made was oriented towards the betterment of the Filipino people. Hanggang sa dulo, naniwala si PNoy sa kabutihan ng Pilipino. And this faith inspired governance that pursued institutional reforms that uplifted many lives.

Kaisa ako ng buong bansang Pilipinas sa pagluluksa sa pagpanaw ni PNoy. Bitbit nating lahat ang pamanang tapang at paninindigan ng kanyang mabuting halimbawa. 

Maraming salamat, PNoy. Rest in peace.