Iggy Arroyo dies in London

Friday, January 27, 2012

NEGROS Occidental Representative Ignacio "Iggy" Tuazon Arroyo Jr. (5th district) died early Thursday night in London after his life support system was pulled out. He suffered a cardiac arrest around 10:30 a.m. (Philippine time).

He was 60 years old. He is survived by his children Bianca Marie Arroyo, Dina Arroyo and Alelu Arroyo.

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Arroyo’s death was confirmed by his elder brother, former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.

He was born to Ignacio L. Arroyo and Lourdes Tuason-Arroyo.

According to Arroyo’s older sister Marilou Arroyo, Iggy was brought to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London where the doctors tried to revive him but he became comatose.

Marilou said they were shocked to receive a call from London about Iggy’s cardiac arrest, as she has talked with him in the last two days and assured her that he was feeling good and was even planning to come back to the country within the month.

Arroyo has been staying in London, England, since October last year while seeking treatment for a liver ailment.

There is no announcement yet when his remains will be flown back to the country.

Arroyo was elected congressman during his first try in politics in 2004. In 2007, he was again chosen by his constituents in the 5th district of Negros Occidental and again re-elected for his last term in 2010.

During the 13th Congress, he was the vice chairman of the House committees on agriculture and appropriations and a member of other various committees. He was chairman of the House committee on environment and natural resources and vice chairman of the House committee on government reorganization.

His early education began in Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City in 1965. He finished high school in 1969 at Villanova Preparatory High School in Ojai, California, USA and he took his preparatory course in Menlo College in Palo Alto, California.

He then pursued his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, Major in Finance at the University of San Francisco, California, USA where he graduated with flying colors in 1974.

Prior to his election as representative of the 5th district of Negros Occidental, he was a board member of the Philippine Producers Corporation (PHILPROCOM) in Bacolod City, as well as the Planters Association of Negros Occidental.

He was actively involved in the Rotary Club of Bacolod-East and Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals.

As representative of his district, his priority was to respond to the needs of his constituents by providing them high impact infrastructure projects. He placed high value on the youth and children as the hope of the country and instituted the appropriate programs for them.

He proposed an act to promote environmental awareness through environmental education, which was signed into law as Republic Act No. 9512, otherwise known as the National Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008.

He likewise authored the Philippine Climate Change Act of 2008, which created the Climate Change Commission.

Among other significant bills he authored were acts on increasing the salary grades of public school teachers; Seafarers Act of 2008; giving scholarship to the youth engaged in agriculture; instituting the children’s welfare funds for the protection and rehabilitation of abandoned, abused and sexually exploited children; the anti-child pornography act; Magna Carta for day care workers; establishing drug rehabilitation centers in every region in the country and granting incentives and benefits to rural health workers.

Arroyo was a central figure in the "Jose Pidal" issue in 2003 exposed by Senator Panfilo Lacson, and was again involved in the Philippine National Police chopper controversy just last year.