A ‘great statesman’ and a ‘Mindanaoan leader’ was how Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy described Atty. Reuben Canoy, former Cagayan de Oro City mayor and assemblyman who died due to cardiac arrest at one of the city’s private hospitals at 8:55 pm last Tuesday, July 6. He was 93 years old.

 

‘I extend my deepest condolences to the people of Cagayan de Oro City and to the Canoy clan. Atty. Canoy was a valued friend. The local government of Cagayan de Oro condoles with the Canoy family,’ said Mayor Klarex in a press statement. Atty. Canoy’s death was confirmed by her daughter Rhona Canoy in a Facebook post late last Tuesday evening.

 

‘It is with sadness that we are informing you of Dad’s passing at 8:55 pm tonight July 5, 2022. Please pray for the eternal repose of his soul. Arrangements for his wake will be announced later,’ Rhona Canoy’s Facebook post read. Word of her father’s death drew an outpouring of online sympathy from family friends who posted their condolences to the Canoy family.

 

As per tradition, Cagayan de Oro City Hall’s flags were flown in half-mast. In his press statement, Mayor Klarex hailed Atty. Canoy for his steadfast commitment to democracy and his desire for Mindanao’s development to be at par with the rest of the country.

‘His (Canoy’s) legacy of fighting for democracy will never be erased or eclipsed and will endure for years to come. I extend my heartfelt sympathies to his family and to all who mourn the passing of a great man,’ Mayor Klarex said./Text by SC with photo by Rod Constantino of CIO