Speaker Dy honors Gov. Dax Cua as devoted public servant, local government champion

“Hindi nasusukat ang buhay sa haba ng panahon na ibinigay sa atin. Nasusukat ito sa kabutihang naiiwan natin sa panahong ipinahiram sa atin.”

This was the lesson Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III drew from the life of the late Quirino Governor Dakila Carlo “Dax” E. Cua—a devoted public servant and local government champion whose legacy, he said, lives on in the people he served.

In his eulogy during the necrological service held at the House of Representatives on Monday, the Speaker said Cua consistently placed the needs and aspirations of Quirino and its people above his own.

“Sa tuwing nagkakausap kami, ang mga ipinaglalaban niya ay hindi para sa kanyang sarili. Laging para sa Quirino. Laging para sa kanyang mga kababayan,” the Speaker said.

Dy recalled that Cua served Quirino as vice governor, governor, and representative of its lone congressional district before returning to the provincial capitol and continuing his service until the final days of his life.

“Malaki ang bahagi ng buhay ni Dax na inialay niya sa mga taga-Quirino. Naging bise gobernador siya, gobernador, at kinatawan ng nag-iisang distrito ng Quirino sa Kongreso. Muli siyang nagbalik sa pagiging gobernador at patuloy na naglingkod sa kanyang lalawigan hanggang sa mga huling araw ng kanyang buhay,” the Speaker said.

But beyond the positions Cua held, Dy said it was his unwavering concern for his constituents that best defined him as a leader.

“Ngunit kung tatanungin ninyo ako kung ano ang tunay na nagpakilala kay Dax bilang isang lider, hindi ko uunahin ang mga posisyong kanyang hinawakan,” he said.

“Uunahin ko ang mga taong hindi niya kailanman nakalimutan.”

The former governor of Isabela cited Cua’s personal appeal for assistance in completing a sports facility in Quirino. While others might regard it as simply another government project, the Speaker said Cua saw it as an investment in the dreams and potential of the province’s young people.

“Perhaps to some, it is simply another government project. But to Dax, it represented something more. It meant opportunities for young people. A place where athletes could dream. A facility that the people of Quirino could call their own,” he said.

Dy assured Cua that the causes he championed and the projects he pursued for his constituents would be carried forward.

“Kaya Dax, saan ka man naroroon ngayon, gusto kong malaman mo na narinig ko ang iyong hiling. At hindi natin hahayaang matapos ang iyong paglilingkod kasabay ng iyong pagpanaw,” he said.

“The work must continue. The dreams must continue. And the things you wanted for your people must continue.”

The Speaker also narrated working with Cua at a Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council meeting, where they discussed the Local Government Code and issues affecting local governance.

He said Cua understood that government acquires meaning only when its programs and policies bring tangible improvements to people’s everyday lives.

“Dax believed deeply in local governance. Nauunawaan niya ang isang bagay na kailangang laging tandaan ng bawat lingkod-bayan: Nagiging makabuluhan lamang ang pamahalaan kapag nararamdaman ito ng mga tao sa kanilang pang-araw-araw na buhay,” Dy said.

“Hindi sapat na may batas. Hindi sapat na may budget. Hindi sapat na may programa. Ang tunay na tanong ay: Nararamdaman ba ito ng ating mga kababayan?”

Dy said this people-centered approach characterized Cua’s entire career in public service.

“Iyan ang uri ng paglilingkod na pinagsikapan ibigay ni Dax—isang uri ng paglilingkod na may nagagawa at may naiiwang pagbabago sa buhay ng tao,” he stressed.

The Speaker said Cua earned the respect of his constituents not merely because he was their governor, but because they knew him as a humble leader who listened to those he served.

“Buildings may carry our names, but they are not our greatest monuments. Our greatest monuments are the lives made better because we choose to serve.”

Also delivering eulogies were former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Speakers Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Pantaleon Alvarez, Senator JV Ejercito, Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, Cabinet Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, Ambassador Nico Barito, former PBA Party-list Rep. Mark Aeron Sambar, actor and producer Dingdong Dantes, and Cua’s father, former Quirino Rep. Junie Cua.