BACOLOD , Philippines – Former Negros Occidental governor Daniel “Bitay” Lacson Jr. died on Friday night, September 6.
He was 77.
Lacson’s son, Patrick, made a post about his father’s death on Friday night.
Former Negros Occidental governor Rafael “Lito” Coscolluela said in a Facebook post on Friday that Lacson “passed away peacefully at his home earlier this evening, while in the company of his family.”
“He served his province and country with passion, always concerned about what could be done to make things better,” Coscolluela said.
“Rest in peace, Bitay. You will always be remembered and honored for the service you gave so selflessly and passionately,” added Coscolluela, who served as vice governor when Lacson was governor, and then succeeded him.
Coscolluela said in a piece published in Digicast Negros that his fellow former governor battled Parkinson’s disease.
Lacson first entered the political stage after then-president Corazon Aquino appointed him as Negros Occidental officer-in-charge in 1986, following the EDSA People Power Revolution that ousted the Ferdinand E. Marcos dictatorship.
He won the succeeding election and served the province until 1992.
He also served as the anti-poverty czar of the Cory Aquino administration. During that time, he convinced the president to make Negros Occidental the pilot province for decentralization, when devolution was still years away from becoming a reality.
Lacson also served as became president of the Philippine National Bank (PNB).
He was appointed as chairman of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) during the Benigno Aquino III administration in 2010. He resigned from the GSIS in 2015 due to health reasons. At the time, he said that his doctor advised him to “slow down” as he had “uncontrolled blood pressure due to stress.”
Lacson, a former president of one of the oldest shipping lines in the country, Negros Navigation Company (NENACO), was known as a visionary and one of the most respected politicians in Negros Occidental.
He also became popular for his political battle cry “Hope Shines in Negros” that reengineered the province’s recovery.
In his Digicast Negros piece, Coscolluela recalled that Lacson brought Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank micro-lending program to the province, inspired an outpouring of volunteerism, and brought needed foreign aid to finance development programs in partnership with the private sector.
One of the beneficiaries of this Grameen Bank micro-lending program is now the Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF), which is known for its sustainable Project Dungganon.
Millie Kilayko, Lacson’s senior executive assistant when he was Negros Occidental governor, described Lacson as a “star of hope” himself, taking off from Lacson’s pet “Star of Hope” project that paved the way for projects and programs that changed many lives in the province, fed the hungry, educated the unschooled, and fixed pension plans, among others.
– Rappler.com
