Antipolo congressman Romeo Acop dies

MANILA, Philippines – Antipolo City 2nd District Representative Romeo Acop has died, the National Unity Party (NUP) announced on Sunday, December 21. He was 78.

NUP president and House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno said Acop suffered a heart attack late Saturday night, December 20.

“Sadly he has really passed on…. Our hearts are broken,” he said. “He was a friend for more than 25 years and a devoted, courageous, and honest public servant.”

Puno, who represents Antipolo’s 1st District, said Acop had been recovering after a “successful” kidney transplant on November 28, and that his colleagues had been “excited for his imminent return.”

“The Congress and our country are the lesser for his loss,” Puno said. 

Acop served three consecutive terms as Antipolo City’s 2nd District representative from 2010 to 2019, and returned to office in 2022, serving until his death. His wife, Resurreccion Acop, succeeded him in 2019 and served until her death from COVID-19 complications in May 2021.

Before his death, Acop also held key leadership roles in the House during the 20th Congress. He served as vice chairperson of the committees on good government and public accountability, public order and safety, and transportation, and as a majority member of the committees on justice and on veterans affairs and welfare.

In the 19th Congress, Acop was vice chairperson of the House “quad comm,” composed of four panels investigating the alleged links between Philippine offshore gaming operators, Chinese syndicates, the illegal drug trade, and extrajudicial killings.

The quad comm in December 2024 recommended the filing of crimes against humanity charges against former president Rodrigo Duterte over killings linked to his anti-illegal drug campaign. 

Acop was also set to serve as one of the prosecutors in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, before proceedings were halted by the Supreme Court. 

A retired police general, Acop previously served as chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP). He was a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s Magiting Class of 1970 and earned his law degree from Jose Rizal University in 1986.

In a statement, Senator Panfilo Lacson said he is “saddened, even devastated” about Acop’s passing. The senator called him “a dear friend, cavalier, upperclassman, and adviser.”

The two lawmakers worked together when Lacson was PNP chief and Acop was the director for comptrollership.

“It was his original recommendation to download 85% of the PNP’s financial and logistical resources to our frontline units, while leaving only 15% to the headquarters as an integral part of the PNP reformation program,” he said. – Rappler.com