Ex-Marikina lawmaker Bayani Fernando dies

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22) — Former Marikina Representative Bayani Fernando died on Friday at the age of 77, his widow announced.

"It is with great sadness that I announce the untimely death of my husband, Bayani BF Fernando, today, Sept. 22nd, 2023," former Marikina City Mayor Marides Fernando said in a statement.

She said her husband "left his own brand of leadership and good governance" and that he will be greatly missed as a loving husband, father and grandfather.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) earlier in the day also said in a statement that it was "deeply saddened and shocked about the sudden demise of former Chairman Bayani F. Fernando who served the Authority from June 5, 2002 until November 25, 2009."

Super Radyo DZBB reported that Fernando died Friday after falling from the roof of his house, where he was doing repairs.

CNN Philippines could not immediately confirm this, and Fernando's widow did not say how her husband died.

Fernando was a congressional representative of Marikina's First District from 2016 to 2022.

Prior to that, he served as mayor of the city from 1992 to 2001.

The long-time politician also briefly became the Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways in 2003 during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The MMDA described him as a man of few words, who is “known to be a workaholic and a disciplinarian among MMDA employees.”

It noted that Fernando, a mechanical engineer by profession, was behind the rapid bus lanes and the “Metro Gwapo” campaign, which aimed to transform the capital region “into a livable metropolis.”

He attempted to make a comeback as Marikina mayor during the 2022 elections but lost to Mayor Marcelino "Marcy" Teodoro.

Fernando's former colleagues in Congress, including the leaders of both houses, mourned his passing and extended their condolences to his bereaved family.

In a statement, House Speaker Martin Romualdez remembered the ex-congressman for his "legacy of visionary leadership and dedication to the betterment of our communities."

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, meanwhile, described Fernando as someone who was “always on the ground, first at the scene, whether to command rescue efforts or direct construction of public works.”

“I had the pleasure of working alongside him in our days in Lakas-CMD, and I will always remember him as a hardworking man of the people, who’s left a huge imprint on the country, especially on his beloved Marikina and on the whole of Metro Manila,” Zubiri said.