PACC chair Dante Jimenez dies

MANILA – Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) chairperson Dante Jimenez died on Friday night due to aortic aneurysm.

Jimenez’s passing was announced by his family on Saturday through an official statement shared by Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption president Arsenio Evangelista on his Facebook account.

Jimenez, 68, passed away at 9:43 p.m. on Friday.

“We ask for your prayers for the eternal repose of a man who devoted his life in the crusade against crime and corruption and for good governance. We will miss him so dearly. May he rest in peace,” the family’s statement read.

Jimenez was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as PACC chair in January 2018. He also co-chaired the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), a body tasked to ensure the full implementation of policies, laws, and issuances on the national government’s anti-narcotics campaign.

Before joining the Duterte government, Jimenez served as the founding chairperson of the advocacy group VACC.

In a separate statement, Malacañang expressed condolences to Jimenez’s family, loved ones, and colleagues.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque hailed Jimenez for advocating a “just and peaceful society for Filipinos by fighting criminality and corruption.”

“He (Jimenez) believed and shared President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s centerpiece program, which is, the campaign against illegal drugs, crime, and corruption, and had served the Duterte Administration as Chair of PACC and Co-Chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs. He would be dearly missed,” he said.

Roque also prayed for Jimenez’s eternal repose.

“May the perpetual light shine upon him, and may the soul of Mr. Jimenez rest in eternal peace,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said the PACC chair’s death is a huge loss for the government.

“Trusting his competence and passion for public service and genuine social change, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte appointed him to lead the fight against graft and corruption,” Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo said Jimenez’s “strength and zeal” will be missed as the Duterte government continues its campaign against criminality and corruption.

“Chairman Jimenez’s drive against graft and corruption started even before he was appointed to the PACC. He was a crusader against criminality and corruption of our country, having served as the founding chairman of the advocacy group, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption,” he said.