Former Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. PHOTO by ANTHONY ESGUERRA / INQUIRER.net
“His whole-hearted dedication for the cause of education is his unique contribution to the welfare of our people.”
This was the remark of former Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. on Wednesday, as he honored his colleague, the late Senate President Edgardo J. Angara, during a necrological service at the Senate.
Angara succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 83 last Sunday.
Pimentel said he will remember Angara as a pillar of education and champion of democracy.
“Ed wanted all our citizens and especially the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized to realize that to extricate themselves from the clutches of poverty, they must have access to and make use of education,” Pimentel said.
A former Senate president himself, Pimentel noted the groundbreaking legislation that he had worked with Angara that paved the way for the strengthening of public education in the country.
“For once they’re free from the dehumanizing effects of miserable degradation, they will then be in the position to help others enjoy fuller lives befitting of human beings,” he said.
The former senator also remembered Angara as “a person with a balanced human perspective.”
“Divergent views, in my opinion, are part of democratic dialogue this country has to go through in our search for better tomorrow,” Pimentel said.
Angara’s legacy was his focus on making education accessible to every Filipinos, according to Pimentel.
“Your focus on knowledge sharing that enables even the deprived sectors of our society to have the means to cut through the bandage of ignorance has already defined your rightful place in the pages of our history,” he said. /kga