The Senate on Monday paid tribute to the late Sen. Dominador Aytona for his brilliance and integrity as a public servant, and for the many landmark legislation he initiated that helped advance the welfare of ordinary Filipinos.
Aytona, who was senator from 1965 to 1971, passed away on Sept. 26. He was 99.
His remains were brought to the Senate on Monday for the traditional necrological service for departed members of the upper chamber, where senators presented to his family a resolution honoring the late legislator and his achievements.
Present during the necrological rites were former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, former Sen. Edgardo Ilarde and former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.
Model Filipino
In his eulogy, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said that with Aytona’s death, the nation lost a model Filipino and a true public servant.
“In the Senate, we lost someone who enriched our history and tradition of excellence in serving the Filipino people. Let us honor his memory by never forgetting his cause of giving every Filipino a chance at a better life,” he said.
“I’ve not personally met the late Senator Aytona. But from reading about his life story, I could see the value of hard work which marked his life — in school, as appointive and elective government official and even after his life as a public official,” he said.
Sen. Cynthia Villar, who spoke on behalf of her husband, former Sen. Manny Villar, described Aytona as a “brilliant public servant,” who served the government and the people with honesty, integrity and efficiency worthy of emulation by current public servants.
“Senator Aytona lived a full life not because he lived up to 99, but because it was a life dedicated to family, to the country and to God. It was a life spent in the pursuit of knowledge and using that knowledge to serve the country,” she said.
Aytona won the senatorial elections in Nov. 9, 1965, under the Nacionalista Party.
Crucial measures
He served in the sixth Congress together with Arturo Tolentino, Jose Diokno, Eva Estrada Kalaw, Raul Manglapus, Sergio Osmeña Jr., Gil Puyat, Jovito Salonga and Lorenzo Tañada, among others.
As a neophyte senator, he was instrumental in the passage of crucial legislative measures such as the creation of Bicol University, the establishment of the Student Loan Fund Authority and the Price Control Council, among others.
He also worked for the enactment of bills that fixed the salaries of officers and employees of the Court of Tax Appeals, and standardized the salaries of all national officials and employees of the General Auditing Office.
Prior to his election as senator, Aytona was appointed budget commissioner by then President Ramon Magsaysay in 1954. Six years later, he was designated secretary of finance and chair of the monetary board of the Central Bank by then President Carlos Garcia.
Following his stint in government, Aytona joined the private sector, where he served as business executive of a leading textile and garment manufacturer, and helped his constituents with employment and other assistance.