Antipolo Rep. Acop passes away at 78

A CONGRESSMAN who led congressional investigations into widespread vigilante-style killings during the term of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte died on Saturday, a House of Representatives deputy speaker said on Sunday. He was 78 years old.

Antipolo Rep. Romeo M. Acop died of a heart attack while recovering from a kidney transplant he underwent on Nov. 28, Deputy Speaker Ronaldo V. Puno said in a text message.

“He was a model of integrity in public service,” Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III said in a statement in Filipino. “In every role he fulfilled, he stood firm in the belief that the law exists for the welfare of the people, and that power is a responsibility, not a privilege.”

Mr. Acop was senior vice chairman of the House “quad” committee that investigated alleged state-sponsored killings during the 2016-2022 administration of Mr. Duterte, who is now detained at The Hague under the custody of the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his drug war.

“He was firm but fair. He asked the hard questions, but always within the bounds of decency and institutional respect,” former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said in a separate statement.

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, Sr. Also remembered his days with Mr. Acop, whom he called his “dear friend, cavalier, upperclassman and adviser.”

“We started working closely together in our earnest, sincere efforts to cleanse the police organization of scalawags and misfits when I was Chief, PNP (Philippine National Police) and he was my Director for Comptrollership,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

“It was his original recommendation to download 85% of the PNP’s financial and logistical resources to our frontline units, while leaving only 15% to the headquarters as an integral part of the PNP reformation program.”

Party-list Rep. Terry L. Ridon also expressed condolences to Mr. Acop’s family, describing his death as a loss to Congress and to ongoing reform efforts in government.

Mr. Ridon, chairperson of the House Committee on Public Accounts, cited Mr. Acop’s years of public service, and key role in the 19^th Congress as one of the chairpersons of the House Quad Committee, which conducted investigations into the alleged links between criminal syndicates and corruption and complicity within government institutions.

He emphasized that Mr. Acop’s work helped bring national attention to issues affecting law enforcement integrity and public accountability, contributing to legislative efforts aimed at curbing abuse of power.

Mr. Acop was a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1970 and a decorated police officer before becoming a distinguished legislator at the House of Representatives. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio and Artemio A. Dumlao