For Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, the sudden death of Senate President J. Angara came as a shock.
In his eulogy at the Senate’s necrological service for Angara, Drilon said he was still able to enjoy the company of the late senator at his Tagaytay rest house the day before he died.
After attending ACCRA Law’s anniversary celebration on Saturday, Angara hosted a “merienda cena” for his friends and colleagues.
READ: TIMELINE: Final moments of ex-Senate President Edgardo J. Angara
“I am privileged to have known him, to have laughed, walked and worked with him. It is not easy to bid him farewell, but I find comfort in the thought that his was a life well-lived,” Drilon said.
“In his lifetime, he enriched many lives, including mine,” he added.
At 83, Angara had many plans for the country, Drilon said, that he needed 100 more years to realize them.
“Ed was a jewel of a friend – a man who had my highest respect and admiration. It is not a secret that he was a major influence in my professional and political life,” he said.
The senator noted that his friendship with Angara transcended political colors and affiliation. “Once he even tried to depose me as Senate President, but the friendship remained,” he said.
Drilon proudly shared the impact of Angara’s legislation from healthcare to education to benefits for the senior citizens, saying Filipinos will continue to benefit from these.
“His journey on earth was marked by his courage and determination to pursue his vision for our country, as well as his deep reservoir of ideas on how to uplift the lives of our countrymen,” he said. /ee
