NECROLOGICAL SERVICES
FOR THE LATE
CONGRESSMAN ERICO B. AUMENTADO
THE SECRETARY GENERAL. The Honorable Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Speaker
of the House of Representatives, will now bid goodbye to the late Honorable
Erico B. Aumentado.
EULOGY OF SPEAKER FELICIANO BELMONTE
JR.
THE SPEAKER.My colleagues in Congress, the bereaved family
of our colleague, EricoAumentado, and the visitors who are here.
You know, when I got elected Speaker
in 2011 and we were putting together the
list of the leaders of this Chamber, who will be chairman of this, who will be
chairman of that, I picked Eric to be
the Chairman of the Committee on Ethics and
Privileges.
One of the powerful people mentioned
to me, that he had learned or he knew that all chairmanships were reserved for
members of the Majority, yet Eric was a member of the Minority. And I said, I know Eric, he is the proper man
for that position. And he did serve with
great distinction because there were also many challenges during this 15th
Congress.
We paid tribute to Eric, a colleague
who was truly a gentleman and an
honorable Member of Congress. Indeed, it
is his sterling character which made him an outstanding Congressman and a
governor par excellence.
When our colleague, Erico, assumed
office as governor in 2001, Bohol was one of the 20 poorest provinces in the
country. In nine years, he transformed
Bohol into a progressive, peaceful and model community. Without knowing the details, I felt in going
to Bohol during his incumbency, that things had changed. Things looked expansive. I could see great works as expressed by my
colleagues---the highway.
He had a dream too when we were
together here in the 9th Congress.
That was the first time people were talking about putting up an
international airport in Panglao and he was an adherent, not only adherent but
he was very much for it and pushing it.
He gained the trust and confidence of
local and foreign agencies for his programs and projects. Hindi namannanggalingsabulsanglahatito kung
hinditalagangnabilibsakanyaangmga foreign agencies. And Bohol was among those which received the
most programs.
Today,
Bohol is a prime tourist destination. A
recipient of various grants and many prestigious awards from local and
international institutions. He persuaded
a fanatical sect and the dissident
movement in Bohol to lay down their arms and help him accomplish his
mission. Thus, Bohol is a very peaceful
province. It is one of those provinces
that you could walk around in without
fear that someone abduct you or harm you.
Congressman Aumentado easily won the
friendship and respect of his colleagues for his humility and/or vision. He
showed true grit, brilliance and unbending commitment to principles when he
successfully prevented, as my colleague, Girlie Villarosa, pointed out, the
approval of a resolution which sought to grant a special favor to a Member of
the House.
The
Journal of the Ethics Committee of the House reflects the outstanding
participation of the Congressman from the Second District of Bohol in committee
and plenary sessions, as has been mentioned.
Congressman
Aumentado demanded strict compliance with quality standards for all his
projects. His sincerity and dedications gained the support of his constituents.
And if anybody offered him some kind of a reward, he would point to the Church,
he would point to some charitable institution, “Kung kayo grateful,
doonninyoibigayangtulong.”
Orphaned
at the age of eight, Erico struggled hard to get an education. Kind souls
helped him through high school and college. Scholarships made it possible for
him to finish law and distinguish himself in the legal profession. He was cited
by the Citizens Legal Society of the Philippines for organizing a chapter in
Bohol and for giving legal services pro bono to poor litigants.
Yes,
he was a dear and close friend of mine. We both started in journalism. Those
are our first jobs. He was the editor of a provincial paper. I was a police
reporter of a Manila paper. We are both lawyers. We served together as
Congressmen for three terms, from 1992 to 2001, along with Danny Suarez and the
others he mentioned. He was Deputy
Speaker when I first served as Speaker in 2001.
He was governor of Bohol when I was Mayor of Quezon City also for three
consecutive terms, from 2001 to 2010 and we came back to the House for the 15th
Congress. He has left us, but let us honor him and revere his memory by
enriching his legacy.
Actually,
I first met Eric when he was a board member. We handled a case in Cebu together
and later on, the case had ramifications in Manila, so we agreed he would
handle it in Cebu and I would pursue it in Manila.
Time
and again, we would meet. In fact, I wasn’t even aware that he was already a
board member when I first met him because he was, by nature, humble, soft
spoken. Of course, we soon find that behind the soft words, there was person
who was firm is his beliefs and his principles.
We
would meet socially, Jaycees, other organizations like that. And finally, we
met when we both were first elected Congressmen in 1992. His political ascendancy is phenomenal and
remarkable. He does not belong to an established and powerful political clan,
neither was he scion of a wealthy family, yet he come from the clutches of
poverty and he got himself out of it, yet he easily won in all elections and
got elected and reelected as a board member, vice governor, and Congressman. He
had no gold, no goons, no guns, yet he never lost in any elections.
Our
colleague was highly successful because he was, firstly, dedicated to his work.
Public service was to him, not only a calling, but a passion.
As many of us recall and as his own family
recall, even in his final illness, he would still seek pen and paper and write
notes and memos. It was driving him, his need to work, his need to serve.
People,
politics had gained and unsavory connotation sometimes and had become even a
pejorative term, but EricoAumentado made politics an honorable and respected
profession.
EricoAumentado
deserves a niche in the pantheon of our great leaders. He was an exemplary
public servant. To him, public service was almost a religion.
To his wife Greenie, I wish that you are assuaged at this hour by our
grief, this grief that we share with you at his untimely loss, and our fervent
prayers for Eric’s safe journey to God’s eternal care.
To his children and grandchildren,
your father, your grandfather was as gentle as he was strong. He was persevering in his advocacies and
passionate with public service. We feel
sadness at his demise but forever grateful for having known him, for having known
his legacy.
Farewell, Eric, because that was the
way I called him, farewell, Eric, I know God will lead you, will lead you to
His presence.
THE SECRETARY GENERAL. Ms. Myra Tuazon will now sing “Sino Ako” by
Jamie Rivera.
Ms.
Myra Tuazon sang “Sino Ako” by Jamie Rivera.
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