The Puerta del Cielo Cemetery now becomes the final resting place of the murdered Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, Orlando Jorge Mera.
However, his legacy, his form, and trajectory will be remembered for eternity among his family, friends and politicians as the minister of the “Green Heart”, according to the words that some of his relatives and close friends expressed in his honor in the emotional funeral ceremony
The moving ceremony began with the rendering of military honors during the entrance of the coffin to the cemetery with the firing of 21 salvos, as indicated by decree 298-22, issued by the Executive Branch. His coffin, covered with the Dominican flag, was escorted to the area where his final resting place was, by his wife, Mrs. Patricia Selma Villegas, his children Orlando and Patricia Victoria, and his sister Dilia. Leticia.
The first lady of the Republic, Raquel Arbaje, the presidents of the Senate, Eduardo Estrella, and of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco, also escorted the coffin while hundreds of people waited, including government officials, whose faces reflected sadness. .
A server dedicated to decency
Speaking before the coffin of his friend, whom he considered as a son, the journalist Guillermo Gómez, said that “he knew step by step his responsible, honest management, and also a servant dedicated to the decency in the administrative behavior that he had ” in the Ministry.
“We meet frequently to discuss big problems that he faced with the responsibility he always exercised, doing his duty, complying with the law and also with an open heart so as not to harm any citizen on a whim or for nothing,” he said.
I will miss our complicity
A moment of great sadness and pain was experienced when his sister Dilia Leticia Jorge Mera spoke and said in front of the coffin that she will miss the complicity that existed between them.
“I will miss the complicity, the laughs, the conversations, the coffees, your advice, your wisdom. We did not always think the same, but we loved and respected each other so much that we supported each other, ”she expressed in tears.
Dilia Leticia, who is Vice Minister of Innovation, Transparency and Citizen Attention of the Administrative Ministry of the Presidency, maintained that the relationship she had with her brother was based on love, admiration, support and respect for the decisions of both.
My father sacrificed his life for the country
The daughter of Orlando Jorge Mera, Patricia Victoria Jorge Villegas, in her short speech highlighted the work and dedication of her father in his commitment to the country and his family.
“This is all a tragedy, but one has to see it through the eyes of faith. And with the eyes of faith, one understands that my father sacrificed his life for this country, for the family and for all his ideals, and for all his moral principles, for the honesty that he kept so much ” .
His wife says goodbye in private
Doña Patricia Selma Villegas, Orlando’s wife, did not speak in public. However, when she finished the ceremony twice, she took advantage of the last opportunity she had to touch, kiss and express to her life partner the care and love she felt for him. Although the words that she expressed were not heard, the features of her face denoted that they were expressions of affection.
A daughter given to the lord and a son to the country
Holding back his tears, deputy Orlando Jorge Villegas highlighted the benefits of his father, noting that he lived a full life and played a good role as a husband, father, friend and public servant.
He argued that the balance that existed between his parents Patricia Selma Villegas and Orlando Jorge Mera resulted in a daughter dedicated to the Lord and a son dedicated to the country.
“Daddy, you were my filter, personally, professionally, politically, in everything,” was one of the phrases that marked the words of Jorge Villegas, who also stressed that in the midst of the pain and sadness that he is overwhelmed by the temperance, prudence and tranquility that his father transmitted. He indicated that his father will be remembered as the “minister of the Green Heart.” Minutes before he was buried, Orlando’s relatives, as well as officials, approached the coffin to place sunflowers, the family’s favorite flower.
