Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24) — Longtime Mindanao peace advocate Eliseo “Jun” Mercado Jr. passed away on Sunday, according to his congregation Philippine Province of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). He was 72.
OMI said Fr. Mercado was admitted to the Cotabato Regional Medical Center on May 8, where he was confirmed to have COVID-19. He recovered and yielded a negative test result on May 22. The following day, he suffered a heart attack, which was the cause of his death.
“Things seemed to go well and he was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit of the CRMC to complete his recovery when suddenly around 3:20PM today, May 23, his heart stopped due to heart attack,” it said in a statement.
The Catholic priest actively participated in the peace process in Mindanao. A recognized expert on the role of Islam in Southeast Asia and the Philippines, he played a major role in brokering the ceasefire between the Estrada administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) back in 2000.
He was also involved with the Mindanao Task Force on Poverty Alleviation, the Social Reform Agenda Council for Central Mindanao, and the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor for Central Mindanao from 1995 to 1998.
