The flag-draped casket bearing the remains of Philippine Ambassador to Pakistan Domingo D. Lucenario Jr. arrived yesterday on board a Pakistan C130 military plane at Villamor Air Base.
Tearfully awaiting the arrival of the remains at the tarmac were Lucenario’s widow Nida and their two children. They were accompanied by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, a family friend.
From Villamor Air Base, the casket was taken to the Arlington Memorial Chapel in Quezon City.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had earlier announced a scheduled public viewing at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City on Thursday.
On Friday, a memorial service will be held at the DFA headquarters from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The seasoned Filipino diplomat will be taken to his final resting place on Saturday at the Holy Cross Memorial Park in Novaliches.
Lucenario died last Friday when the army helicopter carrying him and several other foreign diplomats crashed on an empty school building in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Naltar Valley in Pakistan.
Following his death, President Aquino nominated Daniel Espiritu as ambassador to Pakistan.
Prior to his nomination, Espiritu served as director of the Office of the ASEAN Affairs at the DFA. He also worked as deputy consul general at the Philippine consulate in Los Angeles, USA.
Manila Bulletin
