Sotero Cosme "Teroy" Hidalgo Laurel II (September 27, 1918 – September 16, 2009) was a Filipino

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

who served as a

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

from 1987 until 1992, including a period as President pro tempore from 1990 until 1991. Laurel was the son of the former

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...

José P. Laurel José Paciano Laurel y García (March 9, 1891 – November 6, 1959) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, and judge, who served as the President of the Second Philippine Republic from 1943 to 1945, which was a Japanese ally during World War II. ...

and the older brother of former

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Salvador Laurel Salvador Roman Hidalgo Laurel (, November 18, 1928 – January 27, 2004), also known as Doy Laurel, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the Vice President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 under President Cor ...

. Laurel was nicknamed "Teroy."

Early life

Laurel was the third oldest son of former President

, he was also the grandson of the late Sotero Remoquillo Laurel. He was born on September 27, 1918. He earned his law degrees from 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 was a member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity. He later obtained a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

. Laurel then went to the United States where he studied

international International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

and

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

Career

Laurel taught law at

Lyceum of the Philippines Lyceum of the Philippines University (), also referred to by its acronym LPU, is a private, non-sectarian, coeducational higher education institution located at Intramuros in the City of Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1952 by José P. ...

, the

Philippine Law School The Philippine Law School (PLS), founded in 1915, is a law school in the Philippines. It formerly served as the college of law of National University. It has produced lawyers such as Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia, a member of the clas ...

, and

Far Eastern University Far Eastern University (), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private research non-sectarian university in Manila, Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and ...

. He also aligned himself from the school policies to found the "Student Varsitarian" in 1953, a reputable campus organization for students hails from different provinces. Laurel served as the president of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) from 1963 to 1965. He also became the

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

Board of Trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of the Lyceum of the Philippines University System. He was a 1986 recipient of the

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, which is bestowed on

educators A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and

academics Academic means of or related to an academy, an institution learning. Academic or academics may also refer to: * Academic staff, or faculty, teachers or research staff * school of philosophers associated with the Platonic Academy in ancient Greece ...

. As Senator from 1987 to 1992, Laurel opposed the extension of the U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay and the

Clark Air Base Clark Air Base is a Philippine Air Force base in Luzon, located west of Angeles City, and about northwest of Metro Manila. It was previously operated by the U.S. Air Force and, before that, the U.S. Army, from 1903 to 1991. The base cov ...

, leading to their closure in 1991. He was a member of the so-called "Magnificent 12" who voted against the extension. He was also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Industry and was the Senate President Pro-Tempore from 1990 to 1991. He was the oldest serving senator also at that time. Laurel established Lyceum of the Philippines University–Batangas and Lyceum of the Philippines University-Laguna.

Death

Sotero Laurel died of cancer on September 16, 2009, at the age of 90. (exactly one month after the death of former President

Cory Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from 1986 to 1992. She was ...

). He was survived by his wife, Lorna, their eight children, and two sisters - Rose L. Avancena and Nita L. Yupangco. Laurel was laid in state in Manila Memorial Park in

Parañaque Parañaque, officially the City of Parañaque (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of ...

. Laurel was predeceased by his sister, Nene L. Guinto, and brothers former House Speaker José B. Laurel Jr.; former Vice President Salvador "Doy" Laurel; former Philippine Ambassador to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

José S. Laurel III; banker, Mariano Laurel; and Arsenio "Dodjie" Laurel, a race car driver.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurel, Sotero 1918 births 2009 deaths Deaths from cancer in the Philippines Presidents pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines Senators of the 8th Congress of the Philippines Academic staff of Far Eastern University University of the Philippines alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni Sotero People from Batangas Nacionalista Party politicians Academic staff of Lyceum of the Philippines University Recipients of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Harvard Law School alumni Children of presidents of the Philippines Burials at the Manila Memorial Park – Sucat Georgetown University Law Center alumni