White roses strew the funeral route of former Vice President.
Hundreds of people in white lined the road for the funeral cortege of former Vice President, William (Billy) Ford, on Tuesday March 22.
Politicians from all parties, relatives and civil rights groups gathered in the Metropolitan Cathedral to hear Archbishop Jose Luis Lacunza call on the congregation to follow the example of Ford and his respect for human rights, one of the ideals he stood for as vice-president when Guillermo Endara Galimany was president. {jathumbnail off}
A photo showing him covered with blood traveled around the world after his bodyguards were killed and he was savagely beaten by thugs belonging to Manuel Nooriega’s “Dignity” battalion during demonstrations against military dictator Manuel Noriega who had overruled the election victory of Endara and Ford.
The photo appeared on the front page of Time magazine, and a few months later President George Bush ordered the U.S. invasion of Panama, and Endara and Ford took office After his term as Vice President, Ford became Panama’s ambassador to the U.S.
At the end of the Funeral Mass, Ford's casket was transferred to a fire truck and escorted by firefighters and members of the Institutional Protection Serviceon the long route to the crematorium.
Many who came to say goodbye to Ford wore white, and rattled pans in the streets, as they did in the era of the dictatorship to demand the fall of military rule in the country.
White clothes and handkerchiefs were symbols of the struggle against militarism and the pursuit of democracy in Panama.
Many waiting outside the cathedral, and along the route threw white roses, and waved white handkerchiefs. The funeral procession traveled through Central Avenue, Avenue B, Plaza 5 de Mayo, Avenida Justo Arosemena, Calle 50, Via Porras and finally Avenida Santa Elena.
