MANILA, Philippines - Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III said Tuesday that former Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin's passing was a great loss, especially since he was considering her to be part of his Cabinet if he wins the May 10 presidential race.

"Nang pinag-iisipan ko ang pagbuo ng Cabinet, nag-inquire ako kung pupuwede pa si Emy sa DBM (Department of Budget Management). Siya ang first choice ko for DBM secretary (When I started searching for people for my Cabinet, I inquired if Emy was still available. She was my first choice for DBM secretary)," Aquino told reporters at Boncodin's wake at the Resurreccion Chapel in Sta. Maria Della Strada Parish in Katipunan, Quezon City.

He said Boncodin had been helping him assess the country's financial status. Before she passed away on Monday, they had a scheduled tutorial auditing government finances.

Aquino said Boncodin would have helped him draft a budget that would address the country's financial woes.

Friends, former colleagues and relatives of the former budget secretary have started paying their respects to the former budget secretary at the Sta. Maria Della Strada Parish.

Boncodin was brought to the parish early Tuesday morning. Some of her friends and former colleagues were already at the church even before her remains were brought in.

End-stage renal disease

The National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), in a medical bulletin, said Boncodin died at 2:05 p.m. due to cardiac arrest. She was 55.

In a press conference on Monday, NKTI executive director Dr. Enrique T. Ona said they tried to revive Boncodin for 2 hours, but she ultimately expired.

Boncodin was admitted to NKTI last March 10 due to difficulty of breathing. She was diagnosed with anemia and end-stage renal disease.

She had a kidney transplant 5 years ago due to a congenital polycystic kidney, which means she had a cyst in one of her kidneys. Her donor was her younger sister, Adelina, who was a perfect match.

However, Ona said Boncodin went into chronic rejection due to her poor compliance with medication. She was supposed to take immune suppressive drugs, but her consultancy jobs in Afghanistan and the United States made it difficult for her.

Probing Arroyo spending

LP senatorial candidate Franklin Drilon, who also went to the wake, told reporters that Boncodin was working on a project on how the Arroyo administration was overspending.

"Most recently, she was working on a project, analyzing the budget and disbursements of funds... She was working on an issue where the government was spending more than what was budgeted," Drilon said.

The former Senate president, however, did not give other details.

Drilon said he and the other people close to Boncodin were shocked about the news of her passing.

"We lost a friend, lost a very good public servant," he said.

In 2005, then Senate President Drilon and several government officials, including a few members of the Cabinet, asked President Arroyo to step down following the "Hello Garci" election scandal.

Boncodin was one of the members of the Arroyo administration who called for President Arroyo's resignation. The group is now referred to as Hyatt 10 since the 10 officials held their press conference at the Hyatt hotel in Pasay City.

Drilon said Boncodin, who was an "unbuyable lady" and a dedicated public servant, resigned from Arroyo's Cabinet because "she knew of things" against the administration.

Boncodin was budget secretary from 2001 to 2005.

The family of Boncodin has yet to announce the date of her interment. The family has also yet to decide if her remains would be brought to her hometown in Iriga, Camarines Sur. With a report from Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News