Ex-security adviser Roilo Golez passes away at 71

Former Parañaque Representative and National Security Adviser Roilo Golez has passed away due to heart attack, according to House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas.

"It is with sadness that [Minority Leader] Danny Suarez just called me with the information that our former colleague, Roilo 'Roy' Golez, passed away due to heart attack," Fariñas said in a text message to reporters.

JUST IN: Dating Cong. Roilo Golez, pumanaw na, ayon sa kanyang anak na si Vice Mayor Rico Golez. — Rep. Gus Tambunting pic.twitter.com/N6QcdizN86

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) June 11, 2018

Golez' son, Parañaque City Vice Mayor Rico Golez, confirmed the death of his father due to a heart problem.

"He passed away over an hour ago. It's heart," the younger Golez said in a text message pass 12 noon.

According to the House of Representative's Protocol Office, Golez's wake will be held at Heritage Park in Taguig City. His interment will be on Friday, June 15.

Golez, 71, a graduate of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis in the 1970s, served as representative of the second district of Parañaque City for six terms, from 1992 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2013.

During the Marcos administration, he served as the deputy administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority from 1978 to 1981 and later became the Postmaster general from 1981 to 1986.

He also served as National Security Adviser from 2001 to 2004 under then-President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

During his stint at the House of Representatives, Golez served as chairman of Committee on National Defense, Committee on Public Order and Security, and head of the House contingent to the Commission on Appointments.

Outside of politics, Golez was an advocate of the Philippines' rights to the West Philippine Sea. 

Golez died hours after he was interviewed by radio station dzRH where he talked about the recent refueling of a Chinese transport aircraft in Davao City. He even posted a video of the interview on his Facebook page.

Armed Forces spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo described Golez as "a sailor, a patriot, and a public servant whose contributions to the Filipino nation and its people extended throughout his lifetime."

"He will be remembered for his keen insights founded on his knowledge of military history and strategy, national security, and geopolitics," he said. —Erwin Colcol/KBK/RSJ, GMA News