PNoy recalls encounter with Mandela, calls him 'beacon of hope'

President Benigno Aquino III expressed fond memories of South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, whose death Thursday evening (Friday, PHL time) saddened the world.

"I recall with gratitude and humility the kind words he told me during his visit to the Philippines when I was still a Representative. He told me then, “You chose your parents well," Aquino said in a statement on Friday.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) head Herminio Coloma Jr. said Mandela visited the Philippines in March 1997.

During the visit, the Palace official said Mandela praised the "restoration of democracy in the country" and paid tribute to former President Corazon Aquino for leading the "struggle against authoritarianism."

In his statement, the President said his mother Cory "admired" Mandela.

"Like all of us, she would have been deeply saddened by his passing. I also understand what the global outpouring of support and sympathy might mean to his family and all South Africans, especially after a long-drawn illness such as the one that he went through," he said.

"On behalf of the entire Filipino people, I extend our deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Mandela, the people of South Africa, and all men and women of peace and goodwill who mourn the passing of a truly great man," he added.

But he said people must "take comfort" from the fact that a great man is now "at peace," with the Filipino people and all humanity "heirs to his example and vision."

"The life he lived makes us cognizant of those who have suffered persecution, yet refused to allow it to plunge their lives into bitterness or vengeance," he said.

He likewise said that even in his death, Mandela united his people "in the spirit of compassion and inclusiveness," just as he did the rest of the world "not only in grief and mourning, but also in respect and admiration for a life lived with strength, courage, humility, and dignity."

"His unflagging optimism that the world could be a place where prejudice gives way to harmony will therefore continue to serve as a beacon of hope for all humanity," he said.

Mandela died peacefully at his home at the age of 95 after months fighting a lung infection, plunging his nation and the world into mourning for a man revered as a moral giant.