Former judge, coop founder Esperanza Garcia laid to rest
CEBU, Philippines - Former Regional Trial Court Judge Esperanza Garcia, the founder of Cebu CFI Cooperative, was laid to rest yesterday afternoon, seven days after she succumbed to kidney failure on February 1.
White petals strewn out of a helicopter greeted the arrival of her remains at the Angelicum Cemetery in Mandaue City. She was surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues.
She was 82.
Former Deputy Speaker and Cebu governor Pablo Garcia, 91, bid his wife farewell with words from poet Elizabeth Browning: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of being…I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.”
The funeral mass at a packed St. Therese Parish Church in Lahug, Cebu City was officiated by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.
There, Garcia’s youngest son, former Third District Rep. Pablo John Garcia, as well as RTC Judge Teresita Galanida, paid tribute to Garcia’s efforts to establish the cooperative initially for workers of the court and make it grow to extend help to other people, especially during disasters and emergencies.
The cooperative is one of the biggest in Cebu with P10 billion in assets and 90,000 members nationwide.
Among those who attended Garcia’s funeral were former Ombudsman Ananias Disierto, Vice President Jejomar Binay, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Cebu Rep. Raul del Mar, and former senator Richard Gordon. (FREEMAN)
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