President Benigno Aquino III made a short visit to Cebu City today to pay his respect for the late labor leader Democrito “Kito” Mendoza.
Aquino who came with Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras and House Speaker Sonny Belmonte arrived at the Mariner’s Court located near pier 1 in Cebu City shortly before noontime and stayed for 30 minutes.
The president attended Mendoza’s wake and briefly spoke with members of his family before he left at about 12:30 p.m.
Aquino arrived at the Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base on board a Learjet with tail number 2910 at about 11:15 a.m. today.
Arthur Barrit, spokesperson of the Associated Labor Unions – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), said Mendoza was a good friend of Aquino’s mother, the late president Corazon Aquino.
He was also one of her labor policy advisers. Mendoza, 92, died on Jan. 12. His interment is scheduled on Jan. 23.