Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop; 78
Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop, who flagged the “Mary Grace Piattos” controversy and made a good impression for his “tactical interrogation” at congressional inquiries, died of a heart attack on Saturday night. He was 78.
“The Congress and our country are the lesser for his loss,” House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno said, confirming to the Inquirer the circumstances of the death of his fellow Antipolo representative.
A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (Class 1970), Acop headed the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in 1994 but resigned a year later after he was linked to the alleged rubout of Kuratong Baleleng gang members. He resigned from the PNP in 2001.
A lawyer himself, he served three terms as a congressman beginning in 2010.
He made a mark at the House with his meticulous questioning during inquiries or what Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong called his “subtle arts of interrogation.”
While the House quad committee was investigating Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential expenses, Acop noticed that one Mary Grace Piattos was among those who signed the acknowledgment receipts, saying it sounded similar to a restaurant and a snack brand.
Acop is survived by his children, Reena, Karla Marie Acop and Philip. His wife, Resurreccion, a former Antipolo lawmaker, died of COVID-19 complications in May 2021. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
