Senior Citizens Rep. Datol died of COVID-19, party-list 2nd nominee confirms

Senior Citizens party-list Representative Francisco "Jun" Datol Jr. died of acute respiratory distress due to COVID-19, the party-list's second nominee Rodolfo Ordanes confirmed on Tuesday.

The confirmation of the cause of Datol's death came a day after he passed away at the age of 71.

"It is with deep sadness that we inform our constituents, the senior citizens and retirees nationwide, that Rep. Francisco G. Datol, Jr. has died because of acute respiratory distress due to COVID-19 on August 10, 2020," Ordanes said in a statement.

"The Office of Congressman Datol expresses its condolences to his family and his colleagues in the Senior Citizen Party-list and in Congress," he added.

Ordanes, being the second nominee and next-in-line as representative of the Senior Citizens party-list, will take over the position vacated by Datol.

He added that Datol's death will not be in vain and that he will carry on with the late lawmaker's advocacy for the welfare of senior citizens.

Meanwhile, the Datol's office will be in close coordination with the Secretariat of the House of Representatives for the appropriate necrological honors.

Last December, Datol took his oath as the duly recognized representative of the Senior Citizens party-list in the 18th Congress.

The Senior Citizens party-list failed to immediately occupy a seat at the House of Representatives pending the Commission on Elections' recognition of its official nominees.

Datol also previously served as representative of the Senior Citizens party-list in the 17th Congress alongside former Representative Milagros Magsaysay. — BM, GMA News