By Mario Casayuran and Vanne Elaine Terrazola Senator Richard J. Gordon said yesterday he is deeply saddened by the sudden demise of former House of Representatives Speaker Prospero C. Nograles. ‘’He was a very good friend since we were students and dorm mates at the Ateneo de Manila University. He was a hardworking man who worked very hard for his constituents. He was also a brilliant lawyer; he was a Bar topnotcher,’’ Gordon said. In a statement that reveals their long and deep connection, Gordon said: ‘’Once again, I lost one of my good friends and I hurt badly. We grew up at a time when there was ferment in the country. Everyone knew what we did not want but the difference was that we both knew what we were going to do for our country and we are still doing it. Even when we both became officials in our respective cities and hardly had time to see each other being in opposite parts of the country, the respect was always there and our friendship remained steadfast. While he was called ‘Nogie’ by everyone else, he was simply ‘Boy’ to me. I remember when he would pass by my room in the dorm on the way to the cafeteria and he would cheerfully call out, ‘Gurrdon Dick, kaon ta and I would happily retaliate, ‘Sige, Pruspeero kaon tayo.’ In later days, we would just had to look at each other and we knew what we will do. He was the president of the Ateneo Junior Jurists Society and we supported each other in our own local endeavors in the student council. He was the ‘Big Man from the South.' It was always really fun to listen to his Visayan accent tempered by his Arneow accent. We had happy memories together, not political memories but simply happy memories. My brother, Bong, remembers too how Boy also loved bands, which he already had then. ‘’My heart goes out to his wife Bebet and their children. Boy and Bebet raised wonderful and talented children - Kristine Elizabeth, a medical doctor; Karlo, a lawyer who is a current Cabinet Secretary and who served as Congressman from 2010 to 2018; Jericho, Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Partylist Representative; and Margarita Ignacia, who has a bachelor’s degree in management economics. ‘’My wife Kate and I, along with my whole family including my brother Bong, share his family’s sorrow and we extend our deepest condolences. I will miss ‘Boy’ sorely. Ad maiorem Dei gloriam!’’ Gordon’s fellow senators also expressed their sympathies over the former speaker’s passing. Senate President Vicente Sotto III in a radio interview said he was saddened after learning that Nograles had died. Sotto said the former lawmaker had been his friend since he was the vice mayor of Quezon City. Senators Sonny Angara, Francis Escudero, and Joel Villanueva took to Twitter to express their sympathies. "Sad to hear this news — RIP former Speaker Boy Nograles, our in 14th Congress. Condolences @CabSec_Karlo (Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles) Rep @Kokonograles (PBA party-list Representative Jericho "Koko" Nograles) and to his family/friends," Angara wrote on Twitter. The reelectionist senator was Aurora province's representative during Nograles' speakership. Senator Francis Escudero also relayed his sympathy to the family of Nograles. "My sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of Former Speaker Boy Nograles. It was an honor to have worked with him in Congress. He will be missed," Escudero wrote on Twitter. Sen. Joel Villanueva offered prayers for Nograles' loved ones. "Rest in peace Speaker Boy Nogie. Prayers for his family and loved ones. Indeed to live is Christ and to die is gain," he likewise tweeted.. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles announced the passing of his 71-year-old father on May 4. "Our family would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of you for being a part of Papa Boy Nogie’s life and journey," he said.