“She did the right thing.”

Amid the apprehensions of some of her cabinet members that she might be embarrassed at late President Corazon Aquino’s funeral wake, President Arroyo on Wednesday early dawn went straight from the airport to the Manila Cathedral to pay her last respects.

In her off-white pant suit, Mrs. Arroyo, along with some cabinet members and lawmakers who were part of her US trip delegation, arrived at the Manila Cathedral at 3:42 a.m. condoling with the family of 76-year old Mrs. Aquino, who will be laid to rest today at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque city.

The Chief Executive served as Trade and Industry undersecretary during Aquino administration in 1986.

The President had less than 10-minute chat with Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, who sat on her left. With them was young Aquino’s aunt, Lupita Kashiwahara, who also accompanied the President in her seven-day old US trip.

Before leaving the wake, she went to the casket of Mrs. Aquino and said a prayer.

First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo was not with the President during the wake, because he decided to stay behind in the US for personal reasons, either for rest or medical check up.

The Chief Executive was instead accompanied by her youngest son, Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo.

“She was very happy that she was able to pay her last respects. She appreciated that Noynoy was very civil,” Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said in a press briefing in his office, shortly after accompanying the President to the wake.

“So far, the gesture of Noynoy was a statesmanship of the highest level,” he said.

He said the Filipino tradition of setting aside indifferences out of respect for the dead has been shown through the “civil” exchange between the senator and the President.

Sen. Aquino appeared to have been waiting for the President’arrival when he was approached by some media members from Malacañang, he said: “I think I need to sleep.”

Remonde said before they left the United States on Monday, the President arrived at her decision to come over for the Mrs. Aquino’s last day of wake and she was “a bit passionate and has always been for it.”

When asked on how difficult the arrangement of the President’s visit to Mrs. Aquino’s wake was, the Palace official said: “There were some cabinet members who feared that Ma’am might be embarrassed because it is not the President as person, but the Office of the President.”

“There were hawks and doves also on our side,” he added. Remonde refused to name the “hawks” who opposed to President’s decision to visit Mrs. Aquino’s funeral wake.

But, amid apprehensions fired up by earlier statement from Aquino’s camp, the President’s decision prevailed, he said.

“She was willing to take the risk. She felt it was her obligation as President to pay last respects. She felt it was the right thing to do,” Remonde said.

“She has made a lot of sacrifice in her lifetime in her career as public servant. She was willing to endure one more for the sake of political civility,” he added.

Remonde said Mrs. Arroyo intended to stay for about 30 minutes, but when she saw the long lines of mourners who wanted to see the former lady, “she decided to go because she didn't want to cause delay.”

He said the President has cancelled all her official engagements today in view of the somber demise of Mrs. Aquino who died of cardiac arrest as complication of colon cancer.

An 8 a.m. special mass will be offered by Mrs. Arroyo to Aquino at Malacañang’s Heroes Hall.

He said Executive Eduardo Ermita and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo will serve as government’s official representatives in the funeral rites.

Aside from Ermita, Remonde and Romulo, Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando, and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who served as agrarian reform secretary and chief of the Bureau of Immigration during Aquino's watch.