EdAngara.com - The Official Website of Senator Edgardo J. Angara

by Senator Edgardo J. Angara
Published on March 12, 2013, Business Mirror


The Philippines has been tagged a rising star in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 for being the most improved country in the whole of Asia Pacific. We now rank 82nd out of 140 countries, up 12 notches from two years ago on the back of price competitiveneness, government prioritization of travel and tourism, abundance of natural resources, and an improving policy environment. In Asia Pacific, we placed 16th among 25 countries.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara highlighted the importance of policy-making at the grassroots level in national development as he addressed the Philippine Councilor's League (PCL) at the awarding of The Outstanding Councilors of the Philippines (TOCP) held recently.

"We in the Senate try to serve the needs of the country as a whole--but as local leaders you can see and feel the sentiments, the needs of your constituents, and use the unique assets and resources available to you," he explained.

by Senator Edgardo J. Angara
Published on March 10, 2013, Manila Bulletin


It has been said that when you educate a man, you educate one individual. But when you educate a woman, you educate a family, a community, and even an entire nation.

by Senator Edgardo J. Angara
Published on March 5, 2013, Business Mirror


The ghost of negligence past has come back to haunt us and no one saw it coming. No one anticipated that Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III will send about 200 members of the Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo to Sabah and lay claim to their ancestral domain. Maybe no one expected such drastic action to ever happen. Yet it did. And now the situation has escalated into an armed conflict.

by Senator Edgardo J. Angara
Published on March 3, 2013, Manila Bulletin


Recent economic growth has been phenomenal. Full-year gross domestic product in 2012 grew by 6.6 percent over 2011, the second highest rate in Asia. This, combined with sound fiscal and monetary policy, will soon give the country its first ever investment grade credit rating. The upgrade would mean lower borrowing costs that would spur further investments in business and industries, which could pave the way for more jobs, or better ones.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara highlighted the importance of remembering and honoring the Filipino heritage by our countrymen living abroad during the 2nd Global Summit of Filipinos in the Diaspora organized by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO).

During the Summit, the Virtual Sentro Rizal was unveiled by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and CFO.

The Sentro Rizal is a collection of Filipiniana named after Dr. Jose Rizal. It was created under R.A. 10066, or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 which was authored by Angara.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara called on the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to impose a moratorium on field trips in light of a bus accident in Tuba, Benguet which has since claimed the lives of several students and faculty members from Marinduque State College (MSC).

The 31 tourism students and two teachers from MSC, including two tour guides, were on the Baguio leg of a three-day Manila-Ilocos-Baguio educational tour, when their bus driver lost control and collided with two other vehicles.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara underscored the need to bring Renewable Energy (RE) directly to consumers who need alternative sources of electricity: the fisherfolk, farmers and those living in distant areas still not connected to the national power grid.

During his keynote speech at the German-Philippine Policy Dialogue on Renewable Energy held last week, Angara explained that the government’s continuous support of RE is vital in helping these communities become self-sufficient.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara called on the government to strengthen its efforts towards developing renewable energy initiatives during his keynote speech at the German-Philippine Policy Dialogue on Renewable Energy last week.

“After languishing in Congress for 15 years, the Renewable Energy Act was signed in 2008. However, after four years we are still lacking in enforcement and implementation,” said Angara, who authored the law.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara underscored the responsibility of all law practitioners to provide legal services to the poor in the country during his speech at the groundbreaking of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines' (IBP) new tower in Ortigas, Pasig City.