A mass for former president Benigno Aquino III and a floral offering will be held at the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 26, on the day he will be laid to rest.
Aquino, 61, succumbed to renal disease secondary to diabetes on Thursday.
Paghimud-os Negros, a coalition of concerned citizens and cause oriented groups is sponsoring the mass and is urging those who will attend to be dressed in yellow or black.
“This is our chance to join the nation in praying for President Noynoy and in grieving for the loss of the beloved president who served well and with all sincerity and incorruptibility,” the organizers said.
The mass will be followed by a floral offering at the Cathedral Bell area, the organizers added.
Meanwhile, Negros Oriental officials lauded Aquino for his service to the nation, while some Bacolod residents tied yellow ribbons in front of their homes Friday, June 25, to mourn his death.
“We mourn the passing of a modest, decent and principled public servant,” Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Remollo said.
Remollo said Aquino did not plan to be president but accepted the daunting task when it was clear that the great majority of the Filipino people clamored for it.
“He gave us hope. He sacrificed his personal life for love of country.
May his life and leadership inspire us and the generations to come,” Remollo said.
“Thank you PNoy for serving the country well,” he added.
Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo said “PNoy’s brand of public service to the nation was sincere and filled with hope that the next generation of Filipinos will experience a better quality of life”.
“Though we had different political persuasions, I shared with his dream for a better future for every Filipino. PNoy will be remembered,” he added.
In Bacolod City, some residents tied yellow ribbons in front of their homes.
Ann Ledesma said she tied yellow ribbons on her gate in honor of the former president and to condole with his family.
“We want them to know that we also feel with them,” she said.
Yellow ribbons were also seen in front of the house of Paz Gonzaga Benares and at several other residences.
The Aquino family announced that the funeral mass of the former president be will at 10 a.m. Saturday, at the Church of the Gesu at the Ateneo De Manila University. The mass will be presided by Archbishop Socrates Villegas, together with his brother priests.
His urn will then be brought to the Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque. The former president will be laid to rest next to his parents.*