• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson led provincial government officials and employees in honoring the late Gov. Daniel “Bitay” Lacson Jr. for his exemplary service and significant contributions to the development of the province, yesterday.
Lacson said that Negros Occidental “lost a father and an exemplar of public service”.
“We mourn the loss of a man who dedicated his life to serving the province and a country, with a strong sense of duty to his people and an unwavering hope for the future of the province,” the governor said in his message during the necrological service held at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall in Bacolod City.
The former governor, who passed away due to a lingering illness on Sept. 6 at the age of 77, was appointed by then-president Corazon Aquino as the post-EDSA governor and led Negros Occidental from 1986 to 1992.
He later served as the chairman of the Philippine National Bank and the Government Service Insurance System.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan led by Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer presented a copy of the resolution, which described the former governor as a “visionary leader”, to his wife Tima.
“During his years of service, Governor Bitay, a visionary leader, engineered the recovery and rehabilitation program of the provincial government under the battle cry “Hope Shines in Negros” and “steered the province to recovery as he pushed for diversification from being dependent on the sugar industry”, the resolution stated.
The Capgem Community Multi-Purpose Cooperative, represented by Eleanor Espeja, also honored Lacson as the “Father of Capgem” for his “pivotal role in the foundation and the development of the cooperative” that has benefited generations of members for 33 years.
Former governor Rafael Coscolluela said that the late governor was responsible for bringing Negros Occidental back on track after EDSA 1, serving as officer-in-charge governor under the administration of then President Corazon Aquino.
“He engineered the recovery and rehabilitations programs under the battle cry ‘Hope Shines in Negros’ and introduced the ‘Star of Hope’ to the world,” he added.
Former senator Sergio Osmeña III and former vice governor Genaro Alvarez also attended the mass while former Third District Board Member Patrick Leonard Lacson, on behalf of their family, gave a response. | GB
