Edgardo Javier Angara (, September 24, 1934 – May 13, 2018) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as Senate President from 1993 to 1995. Angara had the second longest tenure in the history of the Senate, serving four terms and a total of twenty-three years. As a legislator, Angara has championed numerous important laws and bills including the free high school law, the Senior Citizen discount law, and many more. In between his Senate stints, Angara also served as Secretary of Agriculture from 1999 to 2001 and also held other government positions briefly. Outside politics, Angara served as the President of the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

and also established himself as one of the most important figures in the bar when he was elected president of the Philippine Bar Association, the nation's oldest voluntary bar society. In 1975, he also served as president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), the country's unified association of lawyers. His leadership was acknowledged even on a global scale. He was chosen to serve as the first president of the largest regional legal association in the world, the Association of Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN) Law Association, when it was founded in 1980. On May 17, 2017, President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

appointed Angara as the special envoy of the Philippines to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

Early life and career

Edgardo Angara was born on September 24, 1934, in

Baler A baler or hay baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop (such as hay, cotton, flax straw, salt marsh hay, or silage) into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. Often, bales are config ...

, then part of the sub-province of

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

Tayabas Tayabas, officially the City of Tayabas (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 112,65 ...

(now Quezon), to Juan Angara and Juana Javier. He earned his law degree from the

in 1958. While in university, he joined the Sigma Rho fraternity. Upon graduation, he was elected to the Pi Gamma Mu and Phi Kappa Phi international honor societies. He earned his LL.M. from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...

in 1964. Angara was a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention representing the first district of

Quezon Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon () and historically known as Tayabas, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines, region on Luzon. Lucena, a highly urbanized ci ...

. In May 1972, he together with classmates (and fraternity brothers from Sigma Rho) from the UP College of Law and

Juan Ponce Enrile Juan Valentin Furagganan Ponce Enrile Sr., (born Juan Valentin Furagganan; February 14, 1924), also referred to by his initials JPE, is a Filipino politician and lawyer who served as 21st President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2008 to ...

, founded the ACCRA Law Offices, which became the country's most recognized and prestigious law firm in less than a decade. He became president of the Philippine Bar Association from 1975 to 1976, and of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines from 1979 to 1981. He also founded the ASEAN Law Association and became its founding president from 1980 to 1981. From 1981 to 1987, Angara became president of the

. He rallied alumni in the country and abroad to pool their resources for various projects to mark the university's diamond jubilee in 1983, including the creation of additional professorial chairs and faculty grants. Through his efforts, the liberal arts curriculum was strengthened, a seven-year honors medical curriculum installed, humanities and science were energized, and a multi-campus university organization was instituted. He defended the state university's tradition of dissent and fiscal autonomy, while maintaining its reputation for academic excellence. He established stronger links with the business community and alumni organizations, raising the biggest faculty endowment in the university.

Senator of the Philippines (1987−1998)

Angara's achievements brought him into politics. He first served as senator from 1987 until 1992. By this time, he had established a reputation as a resolute reformer and firm leader, winning praise for his non-confrontational stance on contentious domestic and international issues, while building consensus at the same time. On September 16, 1989, Angara led a one-day forum with Alfonso J. Aguirre for the centennial of

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...

's essay " Filipinas dentro de cien años" ("The Philippines, a Century Hence").

Senate Presidency (1993−1995)

He was Senate President from 1993 to 1995. As the Senate Chief, Angara, with his aggressive and consensus-building approach leadership style, rallied the upper chamber to pass bills and resolutions for an executive-legislative cooperation in economic reforms, which resulted in the Economic Summit of August 1993. It was likewise during his term that the Senate adopted a policy to reimpose the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

for heinous crimes and saw the ratification of the

Earth Summit The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio de Janeiro Conference or the Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92, Cúpula da Terra), was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 ...

treaty, along with five pro-environment treaties, many of which have already been enacted into law. In August 1995, he resigned from the Senate Presidency and was elected as the new Minority Leader of the Senate.

Educational and economic initiatives

As chairman of the Congressional Commission on Education from 1990 to 1991, Angara sponsored laws that resulted in the creation of the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skill Development Authority, both of which enabled the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

to focus on its main concern - basic education. He authored the Free High School Act that ensured secondary education even for the poorest; the Senior Citizens Act (or The Angara Law) that allowed the elderly to avail of substantial discounts when buying medicine or riding public transport; the National Health Insurance Act, or PhilHealth, that provided insurance to every citizen; and the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE), the biggest scholarship program. Under his Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), farmers and fisher folk benefited from improved seeds and plant materials, better irrigation, better financing and market access. He authored the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers and was the principal author of the laws that created the new

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts.

1998 vice presidential bid

Angara prepared to run for president in the 1998 Philippine election, but decided against it when it became clear that he could not win over the popular vice president

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor, who served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 until his resignation in 2001. ...

. He accepted a deal offered by Estrada to run as his vice presidential candidate instead. Although Estrada overwhelmingly won the presidential race, Angara placed second in a field of nine candidates, losing to Senator

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

of Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino. Arroyo won 12.6 million votes compared to Angara's 5.6 million.

Estrada administration (1998−2001)

Chairman of the Philippine National Bank (1998–1999)

Upon the inauguration of Estrada as president on June 30, 1998, Angara was named by him to be the chairman of the board of directors of the

Philippine National Bank The Philippine National Bank (PNB, ; ; Hokkien in the Philippines, Hokkien ) is a major Filipino bank based in Pasay in the Philippines. It was established by the Philippine government on July 22, 1916, during the Insular Government, America ...

, then a

government-owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...

bank. During his tenure, major policy reforms as well as innovations were introduced by him at the said bank.

Agriculture Secretary (1999−2001)

In 1999, Angara was appointed Secretary of Agriculture by Estrada. During his term as secretary (1999–2001), he had the opportunity to implement his own creation, AFMA. He oversaw an improvement of food production programs and support services that led to a bigger harvest of rice, a development that underscored the drive to attain food security. Overall, the agricultural sector saw a growth rate of 3.6 percent a year since 2000, compared with a 1.2 percent growth over the past two decades.

Executive Secretary (2001)

On January 6, 2001, as Estrada's presidency was crippled by an

impeachment trial An impeachment trial is a trial that functions as a component of an impeachment. Several governments utilize impeachment trials as a part of their processes for impeachment. Differences exist between governments as to what stage trials take place ...

and widespread allegations of corruption, Angara was appointed Executive Secretary following the resignation of Ronaldo Zamora, who resigned to run for Congress. He only served for 14 days, as Estrada was toppled by the EDSA II Revolution on January 20. Angara remained loyal to Estrada until the end of his presidency, though he later asserted that his support for Estrada was contingent on the latter's undertaking to pass reforms.

Return to the Senate (2001–2013)

Angara successfully ran for senator in the 2001 Philippine election. He was re-elected to a fourth term in 2007, making him the longest-serving senator in the post-EDSA revolution legislature, matching Senator Lorenzo Tanada who served four consecutive terms from 1947 to 1972. Angara authored or sponsored many laws including the Free High School Education Act, the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education or GASTPE Law, the Generics Act, the law which created Philhealth, the original Senior Citizens Act, Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act, Government Procurement Act, the Renewable Energy Act, among several others. In 2007, Senator Edgardo Angara and Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara authored Republic Act No. 9490 which created the Aurora Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), the body tasked to administer the economic zone in Brgy. Motiong, Casiguran,

. Later on, Republic Act No. 10083 was enacted which amended the name to Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority or better known as APECO. The APECO was created to generate jobs and livelihood not only for Aurora but its neighboring provinces. As a logistics hub, it is a very timely and strategic infrastructure investment for the Philippines catering to Trans-Pacific Ocean traffic. In the Senate, Angara chaired the Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, Committee on Science and Technology, and the Congressional Commission on Science and Technology and Engineering. From January 16 to May 29, 2012, Angara acted as one of the Senator-Judges in the impeachment trial of the Senate of then Chief Justice

Renato Corona Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona (October 15, 1948 – April 29, 2016) was a Filipino judge who was the 23rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 2010 to 2012. He served as an associate justice after being appointe ...

and was one of the 20 Senator-Judges that voted to convict him of the impeachment charges exhibited by the House of Representatives and remove him from public office. On October 3, 2012, he announced his candidacy for governor of

in the 2013 Philippine election, but he withdrew and was replaced by his younger brother,

Mayor Arthur Angara. On June 30, 2013, Angara's fourth term in the Senate ended but his son, Sonny placed a bid for Senator, he endorsed his son and campaigned with him with help from fellow senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, helping the younger Angara to be elected.

Death

Edgardo Angara died from an apparent

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on May 13, 2018, at the age of 83. His death was announced by his son Sonny over his

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

page. Angara's necrological services were conducted in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

halls on the morning of May 16. His former Senate colleagues such as Sen. Wigberto Tañada attended his funeral, while others such as Rene Saguisag, Pia Cayetano, Nene Pimentel, and former Presidents

and

, gave eulogies to Angara. President

and Vice President

Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; Gerona; born April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She is the mayor-elect of Naga, Camarines Sur, having won the ...

visited Angara's funeral in The Heritage Park in

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig (), is the List of cities in the Philippines, fifth-most populous city in the Philippines situated on the eastern shores of Metro Manila, the national capital region. It is a center for culture, finance ...

. His remains were buried in his hometown of

Baler, Aurora Baler (, , , ; ), officially the Municipality of Baler (; ), is a municipality and capital of the province of Aurora, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 43,785 people. History Spanish colonial period In 16 ...

In popular culture

Senator Edgardo Angara's life was dramatized in the episode of ABS-CBN's drama anthology series, ''

Maalaala Mo Kaya (, abbreviated as ''MMK'') is a Philippine television drama anthology series broadcast by ABS-CBN and Kapamilya Channel. Hosted by Charo Santos-Concio, its first iteration was aired from May 15, 1991 to December 10, 2022. It is the longest ...

'', titled "Family Portrait", originally aired on February 2, 2019. He was portrayed by

Christopher de Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956), also known as Boyet, is a Filipino actor, filmmaker and politician. Often referred to as the "King of Philippine Drama", he gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous film and te ...

, with younger versions portrayed by Raikko Mateo and James Blanco.

References

External links