President Aquino leads state funeral for DILG
Secretary Robredo at Malacanang
President Benigno S. Aquino III received the
family of the late Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo after
his remains arrived in Malacanang Friday morning.
His remains arrived at the Palace ground at
around 11 a.m. and were given arrival honors by the Presidential Security Group
(PSG) including a 19-gun salute. The arrival honors, which were made more
solemn, were integral part of the state funeral for the late DILG Secretary.
The Aquino administration has prepared a state
funeral for Secretary Robredo, an arrangement welcomed by his family. A state
funeral entails that all expenses be paid by the state in addition to the
fullest honors rendered to the deceased including military honors.
President Aquino as well as other members of the
Cabinet witnessed the ceremonies that include bringing down of the casket from
the hearse by the eight casket bearers and six honorary pallbearers.
The Department of the Interior and Local
Government (DILG) and its attached agencies, urban poor groups, and the Kaya
Natin Movement are to hold memorial services for Secretary Robredo in the
afternoon. At 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Robredo’s remains will lay in state for public
viewing at the Palace’s Kalayaan Hall.
On Saturday, August 25, the public viewing will
be from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Liberal Party and Robredo’s fellow Cabinet
members will sponsor memorial services in the evening.
On Sunday morning, the body of the late
secretary will be brought back to the Villamor Airbase en route to Pili Airport
in Camarines Sur. Departure honors will be rendered by the PSG in Malacanang.
A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday morning
at 10 a.m. and President Aquino is expected to deliver a eulogy for the late
DILG secretary.
Robredo and two others died when the
twin-engine, four-seater Piper Seneca plane carrying them en route to Naga City
from Cebu City crashed off Masbate after encountering engine failure.
Robredo served as Naga City mayor for several
terms before he was appointed as Interior and Local Government Secretary by
President Aquino in 2010. (as/12:18pm)
More government officials, legislators,
dignitaries and friends flock to Malacanang on Friday to pay last respects to
the late DILG Secretary Robredo
Government officials, legislators, dignitaries
and friends flocked to Malacanang on Friday to pay their last respects to the
late Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, who died in the
plane crash off the coast of Masbate on August 18.
President Benigno S. Aquino III himself, who
wore a black arm band, received the remains of the late Secretary Robredo at
the Kalayaan Grounds in Malacañang for the state funeral.
Members of the Philippine Air Force aboard the
Presidential chopper showered paper confetti as the casket was being
transferred from the hearse by eight Presidential Security Group (PSG) casket
bearers to the ceremonial grounds.
The remains of Secretary Robredo lie in state at
the Kalayaan Hall of Malacañan Palace.
"Traditionally, only the President and
former Presidents have laid in state in Malacañan Palace, specifically in Rizal
Hall. There have been cases though, when wakes have been held at Heroes Hall,"
according to Bulletin No. 6 released by the Committee on Funeral Arrangements
and Burial of the late DILG Secretary.
The Philippine government closely adheres to the
protocol of the government of the United States for the conduct of a state
funeral.
The President, former Presidents, the Vice
President, former Vice Presidents, the Senate President, and the Speaker of the
House are entitled to a state funeral.
The National Artists and National Scientists
have the right to be given a state funeral by virtue of law.
The President, in his capacity as head of state
and commander-in-chief, has the prerogative of ordering a state funeral for any
citizen who is deemed of sufficient stature to deserve such an honor.
The last state funeral was held on July 4, 2012
for the late National Scientist Perla Santos-Ocampo. The last state funeral for
a former President was for the late President Diosdado Macapagal in 1997.(js)
Aquino appoints Associate Justice Lourdes Sereno
24th Chief Justice to the Supreme Court
President Benigno S. Aquino III has appointed
Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Punzalan Aranal-Sereno as the
24th Chief Justice of the High Tribunal.
"In the midst of this period of deep
mourning for the loss of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo,
the President is cognizant of his constitutional duty to appoint the next Chief
Justice of the Philippines. He has therefore decided to appoint Associate
Justice Maria Lourdes Punzalan Aranal-Sereno as the 24th Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court," Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a
statement issued on Friday.
Lacierda said President Aquino is confident that
Chief Justice Sereno will lead the judiciary in undertaking much-needed
reforms.
"We believe the Judicial Branch of
government has a historic opportunity to restore our people’s confidence in the
judicial system," he said.
Sereno was appointed by President Aquino on
August 16, 2010 as the 169th Justice of the Supreme Court. She was President
Aquino's first appointee to the Supreme Court.
Born on July 2, 1960, the then 50-year old
Sereno is the youngest to be appointed to the SC in this century. She may also
be one of the longest-serving justices ever, as she is to mandatorily retire in
2030 after serving a 20-year term.
She graduated with honors at the Kamuning
Elementary School and Quezon City High School. She was then awarded
scholarships by the government and several private institutions that allowed
her to earn an Economics degree at the Ateneo de Manila University, and a
Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of the Philippines (UP).
After graduating valedictorian from the UP
College of Law in 1984, Justice Sereno joined one of the largest law firm in
the country where she stayed until in 1986.
She was a professor at the UP College of Law for
nearly 20 years. At one point, she also became Deputy Commissioner of the
Commission on Human Rights and was partly responsible for writing the
organizational plans for the Commission. She has also taught at the Philippine
Judicial Academy and several international academies.
In 1992, Justice Sereno was awarded a De Witte
Fellowship and a Ford-Rockefeller Scholarship to pursue her Masters of Laws at
the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she developed her proficiency in
law and economics and international trade law. When she and her family returned
to the Philippines, she played a key role in developing those fields of law.
At the age of 38, she was appointed as legal
counsellor at the World Trade Organizations’ Appellate Body Secretariat in
Geneva. Her international experience and her pioneering achievements in the
legal profession were recognized when she was selected as one of The
Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) for law.
At the age of 39, she was chosen as the only female
member of the 1999 Preparatory Commission on Constitutional Reform where she
was elected Chairperson of the Commission’s Steering Committee.
Access to justice is one of the centerpiece
advocacies of Justice Sereno. One of her earlier works in law school included a
review of the interface between domestic laws and indigenous customary laws.
Prior to her joining the Supreme Court, she was
engaged in major international litigation as co-counsel for the Republic, after
which she joined the Asian Institute of Management as Executive Director of its
think-tank - the AIM Policy Center - where she pursued her interest in policy
reform and its impact on governance and the economy.
She is married to Mario Jose E. Sereno. They are
blessed with two children, Maria Sophia and Jose Lorenzo. (js)
