Remembering Senator Raul Roco

Even as we mourn the passing of President Cory Aquino, we must remember another brave soul who lent his life to the cause of trying to make the Philippines a better country.

This short write up was culled from the virtual shrine of Senator Raul Roco at www.raulrocoshrine.org, please do take some time and visit and light a candle for a man who would have made a good President.

Four years have passed and yet he remains with us all, and remain he shall.

There are some things in this world that linger and reverberate in the memories of people. Yet Raul Sagarbarria Roco is not just a memory. His is a legacy borne of hard work, genuine passion for service and love for humanity.

On October 26, 1941 in Naga City, Camarines Sur, farmer Sulpicio Azuela Roco and public school teacher Rosario Orlanda Sagarbarria were blessed with a gifted son. Since then there was no looking back for this remarkable child. He finished elementary school at the age of 10 from the Naga Parochial School and graduated from high school at the age of 14 from the Ateneo de Naga.

At 18 he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, graduating magna cum laude at San Beda College in Manila. He was also elected president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines, the youngest person to hold the position.

He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree at San Beda College and, on the same year, was named one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines.

Once he became a lawyer, he entered the public service when he lobbied to amend the 1935 Philippine Constitution. On November 10 he became the youngest Bicolano to be elected as a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention.

He became a member of the House of Representatives from 1987 to 1992 and as congressman he provided the basis for the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

In 1992, he was elected Senator and authored numerous laws such as R.A. 7192, Women in Nation Building Law; R.A. 7164, The Nursing Act; R.A. 7877, The Anti-Sexual Harassment Law; R.A. 8353, Anti-Rape Law and R.A. 8368, The Child and Family Courts Act.

He was appointed Secretary of Education in 2001 and ran for the Philippine presidency until he withdrew from the race due to a lingering illness.

The great man finally succumbed to cancer on August 5, 2005.

On this website he is honored not only by his wife Sonia and their six children -- Robbie Pierre, Raul Jr., Sophia, Sareena, Rex and Synara -- but also by everyone whose hearts were touched by the senator.

Let us remember Raul S. Roco not just as a public servant, but also as a good family man. A husband. A son. A father. A man. An honorary woman.

Light a candle for Roco now.