Edgardo Javier Angara (, September 24, 1934 – May 13, 2018) was a Filipino politician who served as the

President of the Senate of the Philippines The president of the Senate of the Philippines ( fil, pangulo ng Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas or ), commonly known as the Senate president, is the presiding officer and the highest-ranking official of the Senate of the Philippines, and thi ...

from 1993 to 1995. He was a Senator from 1987 to 1998 and then served as Secretary of Agriculture from 1999 to 2001. He served in the Senate again from 2001 to 2013. He also previously served as the President of the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...

, and was succeeded by political scientist Dr. José Abueva.

Early life and career

Edgardo Angara was born on September 24, 1934 in Baler, Aurora to Juan Angara and Juana Javier. He earned his law degree from the

in 1958. While in university, he joined the Sigma Rho fraternity. Upon graduation, he was elected to the Pi Gamma Mu and

Phi Kappa Phi The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of education ...

international honor societies. He earned his

LL.M. A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparative Law (MC ...

in 1964. Angara was a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention representing the first district of

Quezon Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon ( tl, Lalawigan ng Quezon), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Kalilayan was the first known name of the province. It was later renamed Tayabas. In honor of the ...

. In May 1972, he together with classmates (and fraternity brothers from Sigma Rho) from the UP College of Law and

Juan Ponce Enrile Juan Valentin Furagganan Ponce Enrile Sr., (born Juanito Furagganan; February 14, 1924), also referred to by his initials JPE, or Manong Johnny, is a Filipino politician and lawyer known for his role in the administration of Philippine dicta ...

, founded the ACCRA Law Offices, which became the country's most recognized and prestigious law firm in less than a decade. He became president of the Philippine Bar Association from 1975 to 1976, and of the

Integrated Bar of the Philippines The Integrated Bar of the Philippines ( fil, Pinagsamang mga Abogasya ng Pilipinas abbreviated as IBP) is the national organization of lawyers in the Philippines. It is the mandatory bar association for Filipino lawyers. History The IBP was esta ...

from 1979 to 1981. He also founded the ASEAN Law Associated and became its founding president from 1980 to 1981. From 1981 to 1987, Angara became president of the

. He rallied alumni in the country and abroad to pool their resources for various projects to mark the university's diamond jubilee in 1983, including the creation of additional professorial chairs and faculty grants. Through his efforts, the liberal arts curriculum was strengthened, a seven-year honors medical curriculum installed, humanities and science were energized, and a multi-campus university organization was instituted. He defended the state university's tradition of dissent and fiscal autonomy, while maintaining its reputation for academic excellence. He established stronger links with the business community and alumni organizations, raising the biggest faculty endowment in the university.

Senator of the Philippines (1987−1998)

Angara's achievements brought him into politics. He first served as senator from 1987 until 1992. By this time, he had established a reputation as a resolute reformer and firm leader, winning praise for his non-confrontational stance on contentious domestic and international issues, while building consensus at the same time.

Senate Presidency (1993−1995)

He was Senate President from 1993 to 1995. As the Senate Chief, Angara, with his aggressive and consensus-building approach leadership style, rallied the upper chamber to pass bills and resolutions for an executive-legislative cooperation in economic reforms, which resulted in the Economic Summit of August 1993. It was likewise during his term that the Senate adopted a policy to reimpose the death penalty for heinous crimes and saw the ratification of the

Earth Summit The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio Conference or the Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92), was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992. Earth ...

treaty, along with five pro-environment treaties, many of which have already been enacted into law. In August 1995, he resigned from the Senate Presidency and was elected as the new Minority Leader of the Senate.

Educational and economic initiatives

As chairman of the Congressional Commission on Education from 1990 to 1991, Angara sponsored laws that resulted in the creation of the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skill Development Authority, both of which enabled the Department of Education to focus on its main concern - basic education. He authored the Free High School Act that ensured secondary education even for the poorest; the Senior Citizens Act (or The Angara Law) that allowed the elderly to avail of substantial discounts when buying medicine or riding public transport; the National Health Insurance Act, or PHILHEALTH, that provided insurance to every citizen; and the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE), the biggest scholarship program. Under his Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), farmers and fisher folk benefited from improved seeds and plant materials, better irrigation, better financing and market access. He authored the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers and was the principal author of the laws that created the new

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numbe ...

and the

National Commission on Culture and the Arts The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining, ceb, Nasodnong Komisyon alang sa Budaya ug mga Arte) is the official government agency for culture in the Philippines. ...

1998 Vice-Presidential bid

Angara prepared to run for president in the 1998 Philippine election, but decided against it when it became clear that he could not win over the popular vice president

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...

. He accepted a deal offered by Estrada to run as his vice presidential candidate. Although Estrada overwhelmingly won the presidential race, Angara placed second in a field of 9 candidates, losing to Senator

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...

Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino The Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI), formerly known as the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino, was a political party in the Philippines. It is the main party of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In June 2008, Kampi merged into the Lak ...

. Macapagal-Arroyo won 12.6 million votes compared to Angara's 5.6 million.

Estrada administration (1998−2001)

Chairman of the Philippine National Bank (1998–1999)

Upon the inauguration of Estrada as president on June 30, 1998, Angara was named by him to be the chairman of the board of directors of the Philippine National Bank, then a wholly government-owned bank. During his tenure, major policy reforms as well as innovations were introduced by him at the said bank.

Agriculture Secretary (1999−2001)

In 1999, Angara was appointed Secretary of Agriculture by Estrada. During his term as secretary (1999–2001), he had the opportunity to implement his own creation, AFMA. He oversaw an improvement of food production programs and support services that led to a bigger harvest of rice, a development that underscored the drive to attain food security. Overall, the agricultural sector saw a growth rate of 3.6 percent a year since 2000, compared with a 1.2 percent growth over the past two decades.

Executive Secretary (2001)

On January 6, 2001, as Estrada's presidency was crippled by an

impeachment trial An impeachment trial is a trial that functions as a component of an impeachment. Several governments utilize impeachment trials as a part of their processes for impeachment, but differ as to when in the impeachment process trials take place and how ...

and widespread allegations of corruption, Angara was appointed

Executive Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

following the resignation of Ronaldo Zamora, who was running for Congress. He only served for 14 days, as Estrada was toppled by the

EDSA II Revolution The Second EDSA Revolution, also known as the Second People Power Revolution, EDSA 2001, or EDSA II (pronounced ''EDSA Two'' or ''EDSA Dos''), was a political protest from January 17–20, 2001, which peacefully overthrew the government of Jose ...

on January 20. Angara remained loyal to Estrada until the end of his presidency, though he later asserted that his support for Estrada was contingent on the latter's undertaking to pass reforms.

Return to the Senate (2001–2013)

Angara successfully ran for senator in the 2001 Philippine election. He was re-elected to a fourth term in 2007, making him the longest-serving senator in the post-EDSA revolution legislature, matching Senator Lorenzo Tanada who served four consecutive terms from 1947 to 1972. Angara authored or sponsored many laws including the Free High School Education Act, the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education or GASTPE Law, the Generics Act, the law which created Philhealth, the original Senior Citizens Act, Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act, Government Procurement Act, the Renewable Energy Act, among several others. In 2007, Senator Edgardo Angara and Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara authored Republic Act No. 9490 which created the Aurora Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), the body tasked to administer the economic zone in Brgy. Motiong, Casiguran,

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. Later on, Republic Act No. 10083 was enacted which amended the name to Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority or better known as APECO. The APECO was created to generate jobs and livelihood not only for Aurora but its neighboring provinces. As a logistics hub, it is a very timely and strategic infrastructure investment for the Philippines catering to Trans-Pacific Ocean traffic. In the Senate, Angara chaired the Committee on Education, Arts and Culture,

Committee on Science and Technology The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It has jurisdiction over non-defense federal scientific research and development. More specifically, the committee has complete jurisdic ...

, and the

Congressional Commission on Science and Technology and Engineering The Congressional Commission on Science and Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) was created by a joint resolution of the 13th Congress of the Philippines to create, amend, or repeal laws and propose budgets that will make the Philippines competiti ...

. From January 16 to May 29, 2012, Angara acted as one of the Senator-Judges in the impeachment trial of the Senate of then Chief Justice

Renato Corona Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona (October 15, 1948 – April 29, 2016) was a Filipino judge who was the 23rd chief justice of the Philippines from 2010 to 2012. He served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, ass ...

and was one of the 20 Senator-Judges that voted to convict him of the impeachment charges exhibited by the House of Representatives and remove him from public office. On October 3, 2012, he announced his candidacy for governor of

in the 2013 Philippine election, but he withdrew and was replaced by his younger brother,

Baler A baler or hay baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop (such as hay, cotton, flax straw, salt marsh hay, or silage) into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. Often, bales are configu ...

Mayor

Arthur Angara Dr. Arturo “Arthur” J. Angara (February 7, 1937—16 November 2022), otherwise known as AJA, is a Filipino people, Filipino Politics of the Philippines, politician and national awardee for public service. He was the former national deputy sec ...

. On June 30, 2013, Angara's fourth term as Senator ended. File:Angaracrisologojf.JPG, Senator Edgardo Angara and Cong. Vincent Crisologo standing at Holy Mass File:Vicentecrisologoangarajf.JPG, Senator Angara chats with Crisologo

Special Envoy to the European Union (2017–2018)

On May 17, 2017, President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

appointed Angara as the special envoy of the Philippines to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

Death

Edgardo Angara died from an apparent

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

on May 13, 2018, at the age of 83. His death was announced by his son

Sonny Sonny is a common nickname and occasional given name. Often it can be a derivative of the English word "Son", a name derived from the Ancient Germanic element *sunn meaning "sun", a nickname derived from the Italian name Salvatore (especially in N ...

over his

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

page. Angara's necrological services were conducted in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

halls on the morning of May 16. His former Senate colleagues such as Sen. Wigberto Tañada attended his funeral, while others such as Rene Saguisag, Pia Cayetano, Nene Pimentel, and former Presidents

and

, gave eulogies to Angara. President

and Vice President

Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; born Maria Leonor Santo Tomas Gerona; April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She was the wife of the late Jesse Ro ...

visited Angara's funeral in The Heritage Park in

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig ( fil, Lungsod ng Taguig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 886,722 people. Located in the northwestern shores of ...

. His remains were buried in his hometown of Baler, Aurora.

References

External links