We mourn deeply the passing of a good, genial, cordial man and a great public servant, my dear friend Cebu Congressman Raul del Mar.

We had worked on several pieces of important legislation together, most notably for benefits for veterans. In 2008, I was meant to follow a Presidential delegation to Washington DC to help lobby for legislation there for our veterans, but was unable to do so because a big typhoon hit the country just before I was scheduled to fly out. I assured President Arroyo that Raul del Mar, who had left ahead with her, would do a great job advocating our case to President Bush which I have already done. Raul’s competence, dedication, and integrity has served our people well in the decades that he has been in office.

I offer my sincere condolences to his wife, Melanie, and his children Raoul, Cong. Cutie, and Ryan Benjamin, and the people of Cebu, on the loss of this remarkable gentleman.