Ni NOEL ABUEL
Binigyan ng pagkilala ng mga senador si dati at kasalukuyang Department of Education (DepEd) Sec. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara dahil sa malaking ambag nito sa Senado at pagtulong sa mga Filipino.
Sa Senate Resolution No. (SRN) 1070, na inihain ni Senador Juan Miguel Zubiri, na sinang-ayunan nina Senador Nancy Binay, Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Win Gatchalian, Loren Legarda at Joel Villanueva.
Sinabi ni Zubiri na itinaguyod ni Angara ang pinakamataas na pamantayan ng serbisyo publiko sa kanyang dalawang dekada na legislative career, na sumasaklaw sa tatlong termino bilang kinatawan ng nag-iisang distrito ng Aurora mula 2004 hanggang 2013 at dalawang termino bilang senador mula 2013 hanggang 2024.
“In the last two decades, Senator Sonny has proven his worth as a legislator, authoring and sponsoring over 340 laws across his time in the House and in the Senate, with a particular focus on education, youth empowerment, healthcare, labor, finance, local government and good governance,” sa sponsorship speech ni Zubiri.
“Here in the Senate, he took on the responsibility of heading a number of key committees, most notably the Senate Committee on Finance—a daunting and demanding committee at any given time, but especially so at the height and in the immediate wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” pahayag pa nito.
“A lesser legislator likely would have buckled under the weight of the unforeseen challenges brought on by COVID and the impact that it had on our national spending and our priorities. But as Finance chairperson, Senator Sonny was competence incarnate. We could always trust him to be prudent and decisive in running the numbers and ensuring that our national budget is truly responsive to the needs of our people,” dagdag pa ni Zubiri.
Aniya, ang parehong kakayahan ang nagbigay-daan kay Angara na mamuno sa Committee on Ways and Means, isa pa na nangangailangan ng maselan at mabigat na trabaho.
“Here, he readily took on the thankless task of being our resident taxman—a highly difficult but necessary role, and one that he rose to with great resolve. While we in the Senate are sure to feel his absence throughout the rest of the 19th Congress, we are also very proud to see him take on the enormous task of heading the Department of Education at this very crucial time for Filipino learners,” ayon pa kay Zubiri.
Sinabi naman ni Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero, may-akda ng SRN 1074, na karapat-dapat si Angara na pasalamatan at papurihan ng Senado sa kanyang mahusay na pagganap bilang senador at sa kanyang kontribusyon sa mga nagawa ng Senado noong ika-16 hanggang ika-19 na Kongreso.
“Senator Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara is a seasoned legislator and public servant who has been a lawmaker for two decades, serving three consecutive terms as representative of the lone district of Aurora (2004 to 2013) before serving as a senator for two consecutive terms (2013 to 2024),” ani Escudero sa kanyang resolusyon.
Ilan sa mahahalagang batas na ipinanukala ni Angara ang Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, ang Unified Student Financial Assistance System Act, ang Student Fare Discount Act, ang Free Kindergarten Law, ang Ladderized Education Act, ang Enhanced Basic Education Act at ang Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) Act.
Maliban dito, hinawakan din Angara ang Committees on Finance and Ways and Means, Committees on Labor, Employment and Resources Development, and Youth gayundin ang pagpanukala ng Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act, ng New Government Procurement Act, Tatak Pinoy Act, Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, ng Expanded Special Program for Employment of Students, at Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act.
“The appointment of Senator Angara as the Secretary of the Department of Education bodes well for the future of the Filipino youth, given his track record as a legislator who has been steadfast in his efforts to improve access to education, which he has identified as our most important tool against poverty,” ayon pa kay Escudero.
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