Execs back call for ‘holiday’ for Vidal burial

CEBU, Philippines — Several officials are supporting the request for Malacañang to declare as holiday the day the late Ricardo Cardinal Vidal will be buried on October 26.

The move was initiated by the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Visayas headed by Michael Lloyd Dino.

Cebu City North District Rep. Raul del Mar said City of Cebu should also be covered by the holiday, if the same will be declared.

“Of course, I will support any honor and respect extended to His Eminence, Ricardo Cardinal, but this must also include Cebu City, which is a highly urbanized city, which is not a component city of the Province of Cebu,” Del Mar said.

Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia said he will pass a resolution declaring a day of mourning for Cebu City.

The resolution, Garcia said, will be tackled during the regular session of the City Council on October 24.

Councilor Joel Garganera said some members of the City Council sent a letter to Dino asking the latter to initiate a move to have October 26 declared a holiday.

“It’s the perfect way to honor a Holy Man who had given his entire life for the betterment of Cebu. On a private note, we just have to convince ourselves that this coming Christmas, we'll no longer be able to hear his voice and see him officiating one of those 9 early dawn mass,” Garganera said.

Also supporting the move are Councilors Jose Daluz III, Sisinio Andales, Joy Augustus Young, and Phillip Zafra.

Young said Vidal contributed to the success of the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) in 1983.

“He was still Archbishop at that time and that’s how I became close with him so we owe him. The nation owes him. Without NAMFREL, there wouldn’t have been free and honest elections,” Young said.

Zafra, the president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC), said of Vidal:

“A man that serves as a guiding light to the Catholic faith. A unifying servant of God who plays a vital role in keeping us together as a nation. Thank you and goodbye Cardinal Vidal.”

Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III also intends to file a resolution to recognize Vidal’s contribution to nation building.

A close friend of Vidal, Sotto attended the Requiem Mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral last Friday night.

Sotto said Vidal was instrumental in putting up a rehabilitation center for the youth in Argao, Cebu many years ago. Vidal also gave valuable counsel at the height of the debate on the Reproductive Health Law.

Sotto said Vidal is a big loss to the country for his "love and inspiration" has moved many, including him and his family. (FREEMAN)