Senators pay tribute to Ernesto Maceda

Senators on Thursday eulogized the late Senate President Ernesto Maceda for his deep knowledge of legislation and politics, and valuable contributions to nation-building.

The remains of Maceda were brought to the Senate for the traditional necrological service for fallen members of the upper chamber.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said the august chamber took time to remember “the life and work of one of the widely respected names in Philippine politics.”

Before they bid Maceda goodbye, they also spoke of their good relations with him despite any differences in opinion, and his helpfulness to younger legislators.

Maceda’s son, Edward, addressing his father’s coworkers and friends at the conclusion of the necrological service, recalled how his father would spend so many hours in the Senate.

“He loved it so much that when he was in the Senate, he never wanted to leave,” Edward said, taking note of his father’s perfect attendance record.

His father believed in the Senate as an institution and vowed to protect it at all times, he said.

“He said the Senate was a bastion of democracy, a democracy he very much embraced,” he said.

As a senator, Maceda helped pass numerous pieces of legislation that he believed was good for the nation. He was one of the “Magnificent 12” senators who voted against the extension of the US bases in the country.

Maceda took his duties seriously, said Edward.

“He did not want the Filipino people, who had repeatedly given him the mandate to serve them, would be shortchanged in any way,” he said.

In his eulogy, Drilon said Maceda blazed trails in whatever field he entered. He was also an intellectual giant, he said.

“He was a highly esteemed leader of the post-Edsa [revolution] Senate because of his thoroughness and resourcefulness in crafting laws,” he said.

While Maceda was known for being “Mr. Exposé” for uncovering government scams, he never made enemies out of the people involved, recalled former Sen. Francisco Tatad.

“The matter of being Mr. Exposé entails no small amount of risk and no small amount of courage. The wonder of it all is despite the number of scams the man had exposed, he was never known to have made personal enemies of anyone he had exposed,” said Tatad.

Maceda was adversarial, uncompromising, and firm, but never mean-spirited, recalled Tatad.

“Even the object of his exposés never doubted that he was doing things for the common good,” he said.

Other colleagues also said Maceda had political savvy, recalling his central role in power struggles in the Senate.

“He helped to unseat and install Senate presidents. At one time, even managed to install himself,” said Tatad.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan, for his part, quipped that he thought he was the Senate’s resident coup plotter, but it turned out that it was Maceda.

Watching Maceda talk to senators was “like watching a lion or leopard coming in for the killing and you were the prey,” he said.

He recalled that Maceda had approached him in the men’s room to ask him to sign a draft resolution on the Senate’s reorganization, Honasan recalled, eliciting laughter from his colleagues.

Former Sen. Rene Saguisag said that when he was a neophyte senator, Maceda was one of the elders who helped him in navigating the legislative mill. Leila B. Salaverria