Esposo a true Filipino in word and deed – Palace

MANILA, Philippines - He is an exemplar and a role model of what it is to be a Filipino in thought, word and deed.

Malacañang yesterday paid tribute and bid goodbye to STAR columnist (As I Wreck This Chair) and Philippine Legion of Honor awardee William “Billy” Esposo with these words.

Esposo died of heart failure on Sunday at the Makati Medical Center. He was 64.

Burial is scheduled on Thursday.

In a statement, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma said with the skillful use of his journalistic and literary talents, Esposo “had explained the issues of the day with outstanding clarity and given his legions of readers a strategic perspective on how daily events affect and transform the life of a nation and its people.”

“Most of all, he has inspired Filipinos to chart their future with the unique blend of courage and determination with which he wielded his mighty pen, literally ‘wrecking chairs’ by demolishing myths, falsehoods and infirm ideas – and relentlessly espousing truth, reason and justice,” Coloma said.

With Esposo’s death, Coloma said the country lost an ardent advocate of people power and a full-blooded Filipino patriot.

“Before his death, he pursued with great fervor a special project: the writing of Philippine history covering the post-World War II era. He noted that the history books currently being used in basic and higher education have not been updated and that the Filipino youth are not given the opportunity to understand the historical antecedents of contemporary events,” Coloma said.

When he celebrated his birthday last February, Coloma quoted Esposo as saying “every day is a precious gift” as he shared with friends his personal battle to live a normal life despite the many physical ailments that he endured.

“I will always cherish Billy Esposo’s memory as a friend and mentor. He truly deserves the Philippine Legion of Honor, rank of commander, that President Aquino conferred on him in February 2011 during the 25th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution,” he said.

Coloma said Esposo served the country with distinction as director-general of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and chairman of the government-supervised Radio Philippines Network (RPN) during the administration of then President Corazon Aquino. He was also among the original members of Mrs. Aquino’s media bureau during the 1986 presidential elections.

“When President Cory passed away in 2009, he was among those who first broached the idea of a Noynoy Aquino presidential candidacy – and manned the ramparts of the Noynoy Aquino media bureau with the same intensity and devotion that he displayed in 1986,” Coloma said.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, meanwhile, said he was saddened by the death of Esposo.

“The death of Billy Esposo fills me with a great sense of loss,” Binay said.

Binay said Esposo was a comrade in the struggle for freedom.

“We shared tough battles during the time of the dictatorship. We manned the trenches during former President Corazon Aquino’s presidential campaign and the glorious EDSA 1986 revolution,” Binay said.

He said he and Esposo, together with their circle of EDSA 1986 veterans, worked hard to help Mrs. Aquino fulfill EDSA’s promise of freedom, reform and good governance.

“But more than that, Billy was a close personal friend. He never sugarcoated his comments. He never offered empty praises either. He was generous with his insights, calling things as he saw it both in private conversations and in his widely-read column in The Philippine STAR,” Binay said.

The Vice President said he will always be grateful for Esposo’s friendship.

“The country has lost a patriot and an outstanding writer. I have lost a dear friend,” Binay said. – With Jose Rodel Clapano