Ex-congressman Lanot laid to rest; son vows to continue fight in Pasig

The eldest son of former Pasig City Rep. Henry Lanot vowed yesterday to unite the fragmented opposition in the city to continue the fight of his murdered father.

"I will finish what my father has started," said the 30-year-old Ken Lanot as he led more than 500 supporters, political allies and close family members in laying to rest the former congressman at the Pasig Catholic Cemetery in Barangay Canlogan.

After a 9 a.m. Mass, Lanot’s casket was paraded from the Sta. Clara Church by supporters wearing red arm bands to the burial site.

They made a short stop in front of the Pasig City Hall, opened his casket and shouted, "Continue the fight! Justice for Lanot!"

Pasig City Rep. Dodot Jaworski said the short stop was the idea of the Lanot family to show the people that "he could have been sitting at City Hall had he not been cheated in the last elections."

Lanot lost by a mere 10,000 votes to his political rival, incumbent Mayor Vicente Eusebio, and has been waiting for the Supreme Court’s decision on a disqualification suit when he was shot by a lone gunman at a restaurant last April 13.

One angry supporter threw an empty bottle of mineral water at the heavily guarded City Hall compound before the funeral march continued.

The marchers proceeded to the cemetery where the Lanot family had a 3 by 6 meter lot. The coffin was sealed at about 1 p.m. after a 21 gun-salute.

The younger Lanot appealed to Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide for a speedy resolution of the disqualification case filed by his father against Eusebio.

"We are appealing to Chief Justice Davide to come out with a resolution soon," he said.

The younger Lanot said he is willing to shift from business management to politics because of what he claimed was "overwhelming support by Pasigueños for my father."

"He has become a symbol of change for a new leader here and the voice of the poor city residents so I will pick up the cudgels for him," he said.