Cua diagnosed with lung cancer in 2024 but kept serving Quirino – father

MANILA, Philippines — Former Quirino Governor Dakila “Dax” Cua had been diagnosed with lung cancer as early as 2024, but he insisted on serving Quirino for another term, his father, Junie Cua, said before the House of Representatives.

In his speech at the House’s necrological service for Dax, Junie, also a former governor of Quirino, said his son may have thought he was strong enough to take on the challenge of serving as governor since 2019 while also serving as president of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP).

Junie said Dax treated his vehicle as his sleeping quarters, leaving Metro Manila by midnight after working with ULAP, sleeping through the trip to Quirino, and then continuing his duties as governor.

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“I observed that since 2022, he had been working nonstop. I also did not expect that he would join ULAP. I could not understand why he did that, but I saw that he had almost no time for himself because his time was spent as governor, as president of ULAP, and as a loving father of his family,” Junie said.

“Maybe he thought he was a man made out of steel. He had been working nonstop. He would be in Quirino as governor, return to Manila as president of ULAP, and use his vehicle as a sleeping quarter. He would leave Manila by midnight, sleep in the car, and work upon arriving in Quirino,” he added.

Junie thought doing several things at once had taken a toll on Dax’s body. In 2024, the governor found it hard to stand during an event where he represented ULAP.

Even with this illness, Dax reportedly asked his family to allow him to run for office again in 2025 because he wanted to “die serving the people.”

“I did not expect that these activities would lead to his body getting weaker. In the early part of 2024, at the age of 46, February … while he was representing ULAP in the Union of Cities and Local Governments in the Asia-Pacific, he found it hard to walk. He was brought to a hospital and diagnosed with lung cancer,” Junie said.

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“But despite all of these, he continued to work. In 2025, knowing his condition, he told us, his family, that he wanted to die serving the people. It was so painful for us to accept, but to parents, his wish was more important to us. What was important to us was his feelings, his desires and his aspirations; we acceded to him. This was what happened,” he added.

‘Unique and different’

Junie said his son had always wanted to be different and that, despite dying at such a young age, Dax had been able to make an imprint.

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“Dax always wanted to stand out. He wanted to be unique and different […] He was not content to be a mere governor; he wanted to help the entire country. I did not realize that he had already served three terms as ULAP president. I suddenly realized that he was slowly but surely establishing his network of friends all the way to the barangays,” he said.

“He failed to finish his three terms, but he would always stand out because he always wanted to be different. Despite his height, being tall, he always had a humble demeanor,” he added.

At one point, Junie blamed himself for why Dax had to offer his life to public service.

“At the age of 23, maybe it was my fault that, at such a young age, he was encouraged to serve the people, which he did with sincerity and dedication, with compassion, selflessness and integrity. This was supposed to be his last term as governor,” he said.

“There is so much sadness in losing someone at only 48. We will always wish we had more time with him, more conversations, more family gatherings, more simple moments together. But perhaps we can find comfort in remembering now how young he was when he left us, but how much love he was able to give and how much good he was able to accomplish in the years God gave him,” he added.

Dax’s friends and colleagues in the House also recalled how the former governor was able to touch their lives. In one instance, Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo recalled the good times he and Dax spent as neophyte lawmakers in the 15th Congress, describing Dax as someone very dedicated to improving Quirino.

Quimbo also recalled a time when Dax seemed to have tricked him, as the former Quirino solon asked for his help regarding a matter with the House committee on ways and means.

When Quimbo asked who his opponent would be, Cua told him it was someone he could handle. However, Quimbo said he had to kick Cua under the table when he learned that his opponent was former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, one of the country’s experts in economics and public policy.

READ: Quimbo recalls ‘mischievous’ Cua as true friend, firm politician

READ: Dy remembers Cua as public servant who always put Quirino province first

Other key members of the House, including Arroyo, House Speaker Faustino Dy III, and former Speakers Feliciano Belmonte and Pantaleon Alvarez, also remembered Dax as a dedicated public official who prioritized the fate of his province.

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Dy said he had always considered the former lawmaker a friend and a younger brother who always called him “Manong Bojie,” as they both came from the same province, Cagayan Valley. /mcm