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40 masses held for ex-President Aquino's 40 days


Forty Masses were held nationwide on Sunday to mark the 40th day since the passing of former President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

The masses also commemorated the 12th death anniversary of Aquino's mother, former President Corazon Aquino.

After the Mass, Vice President Leni Robredo delivered a message, thanking Noynoy for his contribution to the country.

She also described Noynoy as "simple, disente, masipag, at makatwiran."

"Maraming maraming salamat PNoy. Kung worth fighting for kami, mas lalo kang worth fighting for," Robredo said.

(Thank you very much PNoy. If we have been worth fighting for, you are more worthy to be fought for.)

The Masses, which were conducted virtually, were held in various parts of the country between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Senator Risa Hontiveros also expressed her gratitude to Noynoy who "brought a quiet dignity to his work" at Malacañang.

"There was nothing vain about his presidency. He did what he said, and said what he did, nothing more. The Presidency was a job he had to do, and the only thing on his agenda was the Filipino people. I am grateful that he served us," she said in a statement.

"We say goodbye to Noy, but history will never. History will remember his bravery against China, the infrastructure he imagined, the economy he built, the international relationships he fostered, the bills he signed into law against all odds, his indifference to personal attacks. His presidency was a part of the Filipinos’ story, and proof again that we as a nation can overcome anything," she added.

President Benigno Aquino died on June 24 due to renal disease secondary to diabetes. He was 61 years old.

Before holding the highest position in the Philippines in 2010, Noynoy served in the Legislative department. He represented Tarlac’s second district in the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2007, after which he ran for senator and served in the Upper House from 2007 to 2010.

Noynoy announced his candidacy for president in the 2010 elections in September 2009, a month after his mother Cory — a democracy icon who was catapulted to Malacañang following the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution — died.

Aquino's administration was known for its “Daang Matuwid” tagline, an advocacy for good governance. The “No Wang-Wang” order was one of the first policies that he implemented after assuming the country’s top post. — DVM, GMA News

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