By Alex P. Vidal
“Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.” —George Eliot
NOW that former Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Perfecto “Jun” Yasay Jr. has died at the age of 73 as confirmed by his wife, Cecile, during the 122nd Philippine Independence Day on June 12, many people were now coming out in the open and calling him as “friend”, saying “he was a big loss”, etcetera.
These eager-beaver stunts exploited Atty. Yasay’s name and rode on his popularity now that the nation mourned his passing.
“Rest in peace, my friend…”, “he was my good friend…”, “my friend Jun Yasay and I were together during…”, “he was a true statesman…,” etcetera.
Except for his family, true friends and associates who really loved and cared for the great former chair of the board of the Central Philippine University (CPU), some of these so-called “friends” actually didn’t really love him.
They wouldn’t and didn’t give a damn when he was down, or when he ran out of luck as DFA secretary on March 8, 2017; and when he was arrested on August 21, 2019 in connection with a long-running bank fraud case.
In those twin setbacks of his checkered career as a national leader, some of these “friends” turned their backs from Secretary Yasay.
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In those dark moments of his sterling life as a public servant and former finance executive, some of these “friends” suddenly became deaf and mute, nowhere to be found and “couldn’t be reached” like cell site dead spots.
It was not the noise of Atty. Yasay’s enemies that hurt him; it was the eerie silence of some of these “friends” who distanced themselves from the beleaguered Ilonggo leader.
He actually would not seek solace from them in his hour of sadness as he was a courageous and upright person, known for his brilliancy, calmness, and grace even in difficulties.
Atty. Yasay’s appointment was rejected by a unanimous vote of 15–0 by the Commission on Appointments (CA) due to questions about his Philippine citizenship status after a period of United States citizenship on March 8, 2017
When Atty. Yasay departed from the Duterte cabinet after his CA rejection, Philippine banking regulator pursued the criminal charges it had earlier filed in 2011 against him and nine others for “repeatedly violating” the banking laws.
In a 2011 news release posted on its website, the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said that directors and senior officers of the Banco Filipino Savings and Mortgages Bank “approved an excessive number of weak and self-serving loans to its directors, officers, stockholders and related interests (DOSRI loans), equivalent to 2.192 billion pesos or 53.5 per cent of total loans”.
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President Rodrigo Roa Duterte nevertheless appointed Atty. Yasya as the first DFA secretary despite being implicated in criminal charges filed before the Department of Justice by the BSP in 2011.
In her Facebook post, Mrs. Yasay described the good former DFA chief as, “My husband, my partner, my best friend – (who) left us today (June 12) at 7:26 a.m.”
She added: “Jun Yasay, you are loved. We will miss you lots.”
Her husband, who had also served as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), died of pneumonia “due to the recurrence of his cancer,” not novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“Jun Yasay has donned the garment of immortality,” the text said. More important it makes him finally impervious to pain,” current Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin posted on his Twitter.
Secretary Locsin credited Atty Yasay for having played a role in him getting a job in the United Nations before Locsin bagged the DFA top post.
Secretary Locsin said: “He recommended me for my UN job. He hurt no one and helped everyone he could. He did what many fighting tyranny had to: shield themselves with US law.”
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
