PEACE pact leader and retired church pastor Luis Ao-as died due to lingering illnesses on Sunday, January 23, at the age of 73, his relatives and friends said. He died at the Almora General Hospital in Tabuk City. He was reportedly confined in a hospital due to pneumonia and arthritis. A retired pastor of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines, he was assigned at the Grace Lutheran Church in Tabuk City and also worked as supervising pastor of the Lutheran congregations in Apayao Province. A friendly, humble, and industrious leader and pastor, he had been described as a visionary leader at the Kalinga-Apayao Religious Sector (Karsa) and the Kalinga Anti-Pollution Action Group (Kapag). Through Ao-as as chair, Kapag had managed to force the closure of Bontoc open dumpsite in 2013, ending decades-old row between Kalinga and Mountain Province. As a pastor, he was involved in socio-cultural affairs and peace pacts of various tribes in Kalinga until his death.