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December 21, 2025 | 2:46pm
MANILA, Philippines — Several members of the House of Representatives mourned the death of their colleague Rep. Romeo Acop (2nd District, Antipolo).
Acop, 78, died on Saturday, December 20, due to a heart attack, as confirmed by his friend, Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno, to Philstar.com.
Puno described Acop as a “devoted, courageous, honest public servant.”
“The Congress and our Country are the lesser for his loss,” Puno said.
In separate statements, several lawmakers also expressed their sympathies over the death of Acop.
House Speaker Faustino Dy III said that Acop was a lawmaker who firmly believed that the law exists for the welfare of the people, and that power is a responsibility rather than a privilege.
“Malaking kawalan ang kanyang pagpanaw para sa Kongreso, para sa Antipolo at para sa sambayanang Pilipino. Gayunpaman, ang kanyang halimbawa bilang isang marangal at tapat na lingkod-bayan ay mananatili at patuloy na magsisilbing gabay sa mga institusyong kanyang pinaglingkuran,” Dy said.
(His passing is a great loss for Congress, for Antipolo, and for the Filipino nation. Nevertheless, his example as an honorable and faithful public servant will endure and continue to serve as a guide for the institutions he served.)
Rep. Benny Abante (6th District, Manila), also described Acop as someone who "stood on the side of justice and never lost sight of the victims whose voices we were duty-bound to hear."
"In the most crucial moments of our hearings, he displayed courage, clarity, and moral conviction. He was firm when firmness was required and fair when fairness was needed. He was steadfast in his belief that public office is a trust that must always be exercised with integrity and respect for human rights," Abante said in a statement.
"I will remember Rep. Acop as someone who stood up for what was right, even when it was uncomfortable or costly. His commitment to accountability and his concern for those who had suffered will remain an example to all of us who continue this work," he added.
Master class of investigations. Rep. Terry Ridon (Bicol Saro Party-list), also Acop’s co-chairperson along with Abante in the 20th House of Representatives Quad-Committee—which he described as “investigated the nexus between criminal syndicates and government complicity and corruption”—said that they will continue Acop’s work to “hold all involved parties to account, and pursue meaningful reforms in law enforcement and good governance.”
Another lawmaker, Rep. Joel Chua (3rd District, Manila) said that the lawmakers will miss “Acop’s masterclass” in investigations.
“Every time he speaks in any House investigation, we are in his master class on criminal justice,” Chua’s statement read.
“We lost a beloved brother, comrade-in-arms, in the never-ending fight for truth and justice. We at the House of Representatives are heartbroken, but we are consoled that he is in the arms of the Creator,” he added.
Meanwhile, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez also lauded Acop’s handling the Quad-Committee hearings, which he described as “methodical, disciplined, and firmly anchored on accountability rather than theatrics.”
“He was firm but fair. He asked the hard questions, but always within the bounds of decency and institutional respect. That kind of leadership elevated the credibility of the committee and the House itself,” Romualdez said.
“He never chased headlines. He showed up, did the work, and stayed true to the belief that public office is a public trust,” Romualdez added. — with reports from Dominique Nicole Flores
