MANILA, Philippines - The heads of the country’s private schools paid tribute to outgoing Sen. Edgardo Angara for spearheading the institution of reforms in education.
The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), the umbrella organization of private schools in the country, organized a testimonial dinner for Angara where he was cited for his continued advocacy for reforms in education, decades after his stint as president of the University of the Philippines.
COCOPEA also dubbed Angara as the country’s “education czar†because of the laws that he authored and sponsored over the years as a member of the Senate.
Among the many laws attributed to Angara are the Free High School Act, the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education, the Philippine Teachers’ Professionalization Act, the Higher Education Modernization Act, the Kindergarten Education Act, the Early Years Act, and the Enhanced Basic Education Act commonly known as the K to 12 program.
As chair of the Congressional Commission on Education in the ‘90s, Angara also authored the laws creating the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
“When the President signs (the K to 12) into law, Senator Angara shall have played a substantial role in legislating all the major education structures in our country today,†said Fr. Joel Tabora SJ, president of Ateneo de Davao University and chair of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines.