DAVAO CITY – Former President Rodrigo R. Duterte mourned the death of former Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla on January 6.
Duterte said he lost a good friend and counselor in Capalla.
FORMER President Rodrigo R. Duterte (left) visits the wake of Archdiocese of Davao Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla at the San Pedro Cathedral in Davao City shortly before midnight on January 6. (Keith Bacongco)
In a press conference on Saturday night, Duterte said he had sought advice from Capalla in several occasions in the past.
“I’ve always acknowledged his ascendancy sa buhay ko (in my life) as a private person and as a public official,” said the former President who faced the media in his hometown for the first time since he stepped down in June 2022.
Duterte bared that Capalla would also advise him on some issues. “He was a good counselor, adviser, he was a good constituent. I respect him deeply. I’m sad of his passing, I express my utmost profound condolences to the family.”
The former Chief Executive visited the wake of Capalla at the San Pedro Cathedral here following the press conference and stayed for at least an hour along with his common-law wife Honeylet Avanceña.
Capalla, a former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines from 2003 to 2005, passed away at dawn on Saturday. He was 89.
He served as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Davao from November 1996 until his retirement in February 2012.
Duterte served seven terms as mayor of this city 1988 to 2008, 2001 to 2010, and 2013 to 2016.
From 1998 to 2001, Duterte was the representative of this city’s first district in the House.
Capalla had been one of the most prominent religious leaders in Mindanao and was known for his contributions to the inter-religious dialogue and peace process in both Moro and communist rebels.
In 1996, he and other religious leaders founded the Bishops-Ulama Conference, an inter-religious organization aimed at fostering understanding between Muslims and Christians in Mindanao.
The BUC has been one of the most active organizations in promoting grassroots peace-building at the height of the conflict in Mindanao.