FORMER ambassador Jose Magalona Zaldarriaga passed away on Sunday, April 7. He was 85 years old.

In a Messenger chat with The Manila Times on Tuesday, his grandson, Andy Lacson, said the late diplomat's death was due to respiratory failure.

He said Zaldarriaga's passing was a "very complicated case," as he "had several comorbidities at the time."

From 1986 to 1990, Zaldarriaga served as the Philippine ambassador to Italy and Greece and worked with the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Between 1990 and 1992, he served as president and chief executive officer of the Subic Bay Development Corp.

He was also a member of the Philippine Ambassadors Foundation Inc. (PAFI).

"I will always treasure those precious moments!" his son, Paul, wrote on Facebook on Monday.

His remains lie in state at the Capilla de San Francisco of the Sanctuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park in Makati City until Thursday, April 11.

A funeral Mass will be held on Friday, April 12.