Former Maguindanao 2nd district Representative Simeon Datumanong passed away Tuesday at the age of 81 after being comatose for a week at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City.
Datumanong, who served as former President Gloria Arroyo’s secretary of Justice as well as Public Works chief, was facing graft cases after allegedly misusing his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
As a sign of mourning the Department of Justice flew the Philippine flag at half-mast to pay tribute to Datumanong.
“We lost a legal luminary but heaven gained the soul of a good man. Let us all pray for his soul,” said Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II in a statement.
Datumanong was a three-term congressman from 1992 to 2001 before joining the cabinet.
He then made a return to the House of Representatives in 2007 and served until 2013 where he was also named as one of its deputy speakers.
Datumanong’s body was brought to his hometown of Maganoy, Shariff Aguak in Mindanao where he was scheduled to be interred yesterday. (Nonoy E. Lacson)