MANILA – Former President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III will be buried today beside his parents – former senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and former President Corazon Aquino – at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City.
The abrupt burial after just one day of public viewing at the Church of Gesu at the Ateneo de Manila University on Friday is because the family does not want a coronavirus super spreader event, according to actress Kris Aquino.
“Gano’n ka-simple lang. Sana maintindihan ninyo. We did not think it would happen this soon, and we are just trying our best,” she said.
The 15th President of the country passed away in his sleep on Thursday morning due to renal disease, secondary to diabetes, as stated in his death certificate. His body was cremated in the afternoon.
Ilonggo senator Franklin Drilon revealed that, during his last conversation with Aquino, the former President was searching for a kidney donor.
“It was a couple of months ago…his kidney had to be replaced,” Drilon said. “He said he was waiting for a donor. He was scheduled for kidney replacement although he had other ailments. His heart was not functioning as it should.”
Drilon also recalled that Aquino was better than some professional lawyers as he always made sure to adhere to the rule of law and always got a Constitution of the Philippines book on his desk.
“When I saw him, when he called for me when I was Senate President and a senator, you know what was on his desk always? The Constitution of the Philippines,” Drilon said.
“Sometimes I feel uneasy because I’m a lawyer for 50 years and yet, he would know the Constitution as much as any lawyer would do, maybe even better than some lawyers I know,” Drilon added.
Drilon also enumerated landmark pieces of legislation under the Aquino administration such as the Sin Tax Reform Act, the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act, and the GOCC Governance Act, among others.
Iloilo’s 1st District congresswoman Janette Loreto-Garin, who served as Department of Health (DOH) secretary during the Aquino administration, described the former President as “a strict boss.”
“Hindi pwedeng hindi ka naka-aral…he would ask difficult questions,” Garin said in an interview with RMN Manila on Friday.
“Ayaw na ayaw niyang may nagkakamali sa kanyang mga Cabinet members, especially if what is at stake are the lives of the Filipino people,” she added.
The Aquino administration initiated a dengue nationwide immunization program in the summer of 2016, purchasing P3.5 billion in Dengvaxia shots for a million public school children in regions reported to have the highest incidence of dengue.
DOH stopped the program in December 2017 after Sanofi Pasteur said the vaccine might increase the risk of severe dengue in recipients who had not contracted the mosquito-borne disease. At the time, over 800,000 school children had been vaccinated.
Garin and Aquino would later be slapped with charges./PN
