The Supreme Court building on Padre Faura Street in Manila. (File photo by CATHY MIRANDA / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Supreme Court justices have paid their tributes to the late former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, with Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo saying that the leader would be best remembered for serving the country “tirelessly with dedication”.
Gesmundo also said in a statement on Friday that he has ordered the Philippine flag in all court houses to be flown at half-staff in recognition of Aquino’s services.
“The Supreme Court and the entire judiciary, join the nation in mourning the death of former President Benigno Aquino III. We offer our deep condolences and prayers to his family and loved ones,” Gesmundo said.
“We will remember him as the President who did his best to serve the Filipinos tirelessly with dedication,” he added.
Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe, who was appointed by Aquino, said that she had only one personal interaction with the former president, and that was when she was interviewed prior to her appointment as SC justice.
However, Perlas-Bernabe said that the meeting already spoke volumes about Aquino’s character.
“While my only interaction with him was during an invitation to the Palace for an interview prior to my appointment as Supreme Court Justice, that singular encounter speaks volumes of his character as a man of dignified humility, intellectual competence, patriotic zeal, and most of all, unyielding integrity,” she said.
“True enough, these traits were not mere impressions but actual qualities epitomized by PNoy as he led this country during his term as President. It is my fervent hope that his life serves as a meaningful inspiration to the leaders — present and future — of this country,” she added.
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Aquino died on Thursday morning, with his sisters announcing that it was due to renal disease secondary to diabetes. Aquino’s sister Pinky Aquino-Abellada read a statement on Thursday afternoon, confirming that the former president died peacefully in his sleep, before he was rushed to the Capitol Medical Center.
Earlier, the Aquino family announced that a funeral mass would be held at 10:00 a.m. at Church of Gesù also, which would immediately be followed by a procession towards the Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque.