MANILA, Philippines — Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop has passed away at the age of 78, Lanao Del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said Sunday. In a statement, Adiong said that Acop was "a statesman in the truest and noblest sense of the word," and that his life was a "continuous offering of service to the Republic, anchored on discipline, integrity, and an unyielding belief in the rule of law.” "As a police officer who rose through the ranks, and as former chief of the Criminal Investigation Service, now known as the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, he stood at the frontlines of the fight for justice and public order. He understood crime not in abstraction, but in reality, in its causes, its consequences, and its victims," Adiong said. He added that Acop was a lawyer who carried the law not only as a profession, but as a moral compass. "This rare union of practitioner, investigator, and jurist shaped the kind of legislator he became. In Congress, he brought with him the precision of an investigator, the discipline of law enforcement, and the wisdom of a seasoned legal mind. He was deliberate, exacting, and always anchored on facts, never theatrics," Adiong said. Acop was the vice chairman of the Good Government panel and the Public Order and Safety, and Transportation Committee in the 20th Congress. He was also the overall vice chairman of the House Quad Committee that investigated the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) hubs in the country. Acop's family has yet to issue a statement regarding his passing.