Bayani Fernando dies in house accident

MANILA, Philippines — Former Marikina congressman and mayor Bayani Fernando died yesterday in an accident at his house. He was 77.?

“Nakikidalamhati ang Marikina City government sa pagpanaw ni former mayor Bayani F. Fernando,” the city’s public information office said in a statement.?

He was rushed to the Quirino Memorial Medical Center due to head injuries reportedly after he fell from the roof of their home.?

Fernando’s wife, Maria Lourdes Carlos-Fernando, and his supporters were at the hospital at the time of his death.?

Representative of the first district of Marikina from 2016 to 2022, Fernando also served as the city’s mayor from 1992 to 2001.

During his term, he transformed Marikina from a municipality to a model city known for cleanliness.?

He lost in his bid to
reclaim the city’s top post to Mayor Marcelino Teodoro in the 2022 elections.?In the national government’s executive department, Fernando served as chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) during the administration of former?president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.?He was a polarizing figure in the MMDA due to his strict enforcement of discipline. Fernando was accused of being anti-poor for his policies against ambulant vendors who occupied sidewalks of major roads in Metro Manila.?Fernando also imposed innovations in addressing heavy traffic along EDSA through the Organized Bus Route System, wherein two lanes on the major thoroughfare were designated for city buses.?Fernando also served as secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.?In 2010, he ran for vice president with former senator Richard Gordon as standard-bearer.?Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said Fernando lived up to his name. “A worthy people’s