To pay his final respects, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday night visited the wake of the late Quirino Gov. Dakila Carlo “Dax” Cua at Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City, extending his condolences to the bereaved family.

Marcos expressed solidarity with Cua's family, led by Quirino Lone District Rep. Midy Cua, as well as his friends and colleagues, honoring the late governor’s life and 25 years of dedicated public service. Cua passed away on 15 September at the age of 48.

The President recognized Cua’s meaningful contributions to government and public service, saying his legacy would continue to be remembered by the people and communities he served.

Joining the President were his son, Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos; Executive Secretary Ralph Recto; Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara; Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian; Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.; and Department of Budget and Management Secretary Kim Robert De Leon.

Cua began his political career at 23, when he was elected vice governor of Quirino, becoming the country’s youngest elected vice governor at the time. He served as vice governor from 2001 to 2007, governor from 2007 to 2010 and again from 2019 until his death, and representative of Quirino’s lone congressional district from 2010 to 2019.

He also held key leadership positions in local government organizations, including national president of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, national chairperson of the League of Provinces of the Philippines and president of United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific.

As a legislator, Cua was a principal author of Republic Act No. 10230, which converted Quirino State College into Quirino State University, and Republic Act No. 10963, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.

As governor, he initiated the “I Love Quirino” movement, a tourism and moral recovery campaign aimed at fostering pride in the province, and established Q-LIFE, or Quirino Livelihood for Everyone, a provincial program providing livelihood and economic support to local families.