The remains of national icon Ramon B. Revilla Sr. were laid to rest on Thursday afternoon (July 2) at a cemetery in his hometown Imus after a funeral cortege, led by Senator Ramon B. Revilla Jr. and other family members, processed from the historical Our Lady of the Pillar-Imus Cathedral, where they held a solemn last-night vigil for their beloved patriarch.
The horse-drawn funeral cart adorned with white flowers and carrying the Philippine flag-draped coffin bearing the body of the late movie actor and legislator Revilla Sr. left the 200-year-old cathedral in Poblacion before 4 p.m. on Thursday.
The march, with two uniformed drum-and-bugle groups, reached the icon’s resting place at the Angelus Eternal Garden in Toclong in less than an hour.
The giant flag at the 60-feet flagpole in Imus City Plaza was flown at half-mast as a final sign of respect for the Revilla patriarch.
Funeral procession
There were about 150 mourners -- mostly family and close friends -- who walked behind the cortege with Revilla Jr. and other family members, including Revilla Jr.’s wife Bacoor City Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla, their son Cavite Vice Governor Ramon Jolo Revilla III, Revilla Jr.’s brother 2nd District (Bacoor) Representative Strike B. Revilla, and some other young relatives.
Other family members rode in cars which tailed the march.
Police personnel in fatigue uniforms secured the cortege as residents lined the roadside to take their last glimpse of Revilla Sr.'s remains.
The protocols under general community quarantine (GCQ) were strictly observed during the funeral procession, particularly the rules on social distancing and the wearing of face masks.
Several times, Vice Governor Revilla turned his back to signal and remind those in the procession about the physical distancing.
The cortege proceeded in a peaceful and orderly manner until it reached the Bautista family mausoleum.
Uniformed Philippine Army men acting as pallbearers carried Revilla Sr’s coffin to the mausoleum for the military honors.
Philippine Army Colonel Paubreon C. Devesa handed the folded Philippine flag to Revilla Jr. as all the Revilla family members stood nearby.
After a while, Revilla Sr.'s remains were brought to his final resting place.
Memories of a good man
The late Revilla Sr. left a lot of memories for his family, constituents, and friends as a movie actor, senator, loving father, and friend to all.
He was known to everyone for his simplicity and humility throughout the years. His goodness and greatness in the movie industry and in government service have been expressed by Revilla Jr. and the other patriarch’s children and grandchildren.
In one of his messages posted on his Facebook page, Vice Governor Revilla said: “Iniahon mo ang sarili't pamilya mula sa payak na buhay mong dinatnan. Sinikap mong paglingkuran ang bayan mula sa sining hanggang sa pamahalaan. Ngunit ang bida man ay kailangan ding mamahinga. Kaya't paalam muna, Daddy. Lagi ka sa aming gunita... hanggang sa ating muling pagkikita (You raised yourself and your family from the hard life you met. You worked hard to serve the country, from the arts to government. But even the hero must rest. So farewell for now, Daddy. You will always be in our memories...until we meet again)."
On the last night of the wake held at the cathedral, the Bautista-Revilla family held the "Luksang Parangal para sa Hari ng Agimat," a family eulogy for the Revilla patriarch after the "Misang Bayan."
The remains of Revilla Sr. were brought to the cathedral after he was rendered necrological services at the Senate.
Imus, Cavite's capital, was the hometown of Revilla Sr., whose birth name was Jose Acuña Bautista. He was born and grew up in the town's Poblacion area.