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

Senator Edgardo J. Angara is set to leave for Japan to receive a rare imperial honor.

The Japanese government will confer on Angara the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, one of the highest honors it bestows on foreigners.

Emperor Akihito will preside over the conferment at the Imperial Palace.

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.

Picture 1:

After a wreath-laying ceremony at a monument of Jose Rizal in Mexico City, Senator Edgardo J. Angara speaks to members of the Filipino community, headed by Hon. George B. Reyes, Philippine Ambassador to Mexico (4th from the left) and Consul Angelo Amonoy (5th from the right).

Angara is in Mexico City as official representative of President Benigno Aquino III for the inauguration of President-Elect Enrique Peña Nieto of the United Mexican States.

Picture 2:

Senator Edgardo J. Angara and Hon. George B. Reyes, Philippine Ambassador to Mexico, are presented a wreath to be laid at a monument to Jose Rizal in Mexico City. Angara is in Mexico City as official representative of President Benigno Aquino III for the inauguration of President-Elect Enrique Peña Nieto of the United Mexican States. (30)

As the official representative of President Benigno Aquino III, Senator Edgardo J. Angara will visit Mexico and witness the inauguration of President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto of the United Mexican States.

Peña Nieto, a former governor of the State of Mexico, will take the presidential seat on December 1, 2012 to succeed President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa.

Over 300 students from the different municipalities of Aurora province have participated in the first Aurora Plays Football (APF) program, a three-month workshop which was successfully concluded last Saturday.

Said workshop which began last July was headed by Coach Maor Rozen, a PRO-level National Football Coach from Spain who was invited by Senator Edgardo J. Angara to provide training to the youth of Aurora as part of his comprehensive grassroots sports development program.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara said that the recent jump of the Philippines in global competitiveness rankings should spur the country on to prepare for the regional economic integration of Southeast Asian nations by 2015.

Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, added that while the country may not be entirely prepared for the integration, the improvement in rankings showed that it is headed in the right direction.

The Aurora Youth for Sports and Arts (AYOS-A) program, initiated by Senator Edgardo J. Angara, successfully held its first Leadership Training Seminar recently.

Sixty-five participants, composed of both students and teachers from all over the province of Aurora, took part in this two-day workshop. A member of the National Youth Commission conducted lectures and activities promoting leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving for the participants.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara underscored the importance of cultural tourism in helping attain the country's goal of attracting 10 million foreign tourists by 2016.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara urged the government to provide adequate support to Filipino athletes competing in the 2012 Olympic Games in London this July.  

“Our Filipino athletes bring us great pride from international sporting events such as the Olympics despite our country’s great lack in sports infrastructure and policies,” said Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.

“Filipinos are natural athletes. Skill, endurance and competition are innate to us. Like most Filipinos, I hope that the Philippines will win its first Olympic Gold,” he added. 

Senator Edgardo J. Angara hailed the removal of the Rice Terraces from the List of World Heritage in Danger, and pushed for the continuity of programs to preserve the terraces.

“This is good news for us. This achievement means we are on the right track but we should be reminded that there is still a lot of work to be done before we fully restore the majestic terraces,” said Angara, author of the National Cultural Heritage Act.