Angara leaves behind a long legacy of public service

Former Senator Edgardo Javier “Edong” Angara, who died at age 83 on Sunday, had served his country well.

Prior to his formal entry into politics, Angara was the youngest delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention. A year after, he co-founded with his classmates ACCRA Law Offices, which became one of the most well-known law firms in the country.

Angara then became the president of the Philippine Bar Association in 1975 and the president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in 1979.

He was first elected as a senator in 1987 and he served for six years. He was re-elected and continued to serve until 1998. He authored laws on agriculture, education, health, arts and culture, science and technology, good governance, financial reforms, and social welfare.

He was then elected by his peers to lead the Senate in 1993 and he served as Senate President until 1995 during the administration of President Fidel Ramos

According to the Social Weather Stations survey, Angara’s leadership at the Senate had one of the most outstanding ratings recorded by the research firm.

As Senate President, he pushed for the passage of several important laws, including the Free High School Act, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skill Development Authority (TESDA), the National Health Insurance Act (Philhealth), Senior Citizens Act, the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), the Renewable Energy Act, and the Procurement Reform Act.

Angara run for Vice President but lost to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the 1998 elections. He then served as President Joseph Estrada’s agriculture secretary from 1999 to 2001 before he was appointed executive secretary in 2001.

In May 2017, Angara was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as special envoy to the European Union (EU), which had expressed concern over his administration’s war on drugs.

READ: Ex-Senate president Edong Angara joins list of Duterte appointees

President Duterte also appointed him as chairman of the New Clark City, the country’s first smart city and emerging aeropolis in ASEAN.

The death of Angara was announced by his son, incumbent Senator Sonny Angara in a Twitter post. He said his father died on Sunday morning due to an “apparent heart attack.” /ee

READ: Former Senator Edgardo Angara passes away at 83