President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he joined the nation ''expressing my deepest condolences'' to the bereaved family of former Senator Rodolfo Biazon, an ex-Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff.

Biazon passed away aged 88 Monday morning as the country marked its 125th Independence Day.

In his Twitter account on Tuesday, Marcos said:'' Biazon distinguished himself among his peers by his brand of leadership and statesmanship, both as a military man and as a veteran lawmaker.''

''We mourn the loss of a distinguished public servant, a former Armed Forces chief and legislator who dedicated his life to serving the country and the Filipino people,'' said Marcos.

''He was highly respected by his colleagues and by the public for being opinionated, conscientious and virtuous as he fought for his mission and advocacies,'' added Marcos.

Biazon played a pivotal role in defending the National Capital Region as commanding general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines NCR Defense Command as the Marine brigadier general repelled an coup attempt against President Corazon Aquino in 1989.

After he served his term as AFP chief of staff in 1991, Biazon was elected senator in 1992 and served until 1995. He returned to the Senate in 1998 where he stayed in 2010.

He also served as Muntinlupa congressman from 2010 to 2016. DMS