Presidential Legislative Liaison Office chief Adelino Sitoy passes away

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) chief Adelino Sitoy has died, Malacañang announced Thursday night.

"The Palace expresses its deep condolences to the family, loved ones and colleagues of Secretary Adelino Sitoy of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office," presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.

"We pray for the eternal repose of the good secretary. Out thoughts and prayers are with him and his family," he added.

There was no information on Sitoy's cause of death as of Thursday. He was 85.

President Rodrigo Duterte paused an ongoing Cabinet briefing to mark Sitoy's passing. 

Roque said Sitoy was instrumental in the passage of the key legislative reform measures of the Duterte administration.  

"As head of PLLO, he made sure that there is stronger executive-legislative collaboration to bring about genuine and lasting change through legislation," the Palace spokesman said.

According to a profile on the PLLO website, Sitoy was vice mayor of Cordova in Cebu when Duterte appointed him to the Cabinet in September 2016. He had been mayor of the same town from 2007 to 2016.

He was also previously served in the town's legislative counscile and in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Cebu.

He finished his Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, and his Master of Laws at the University of Southern Philippines in the same city.