The country mourns the death of former Senate president Jovito Salonga who passed away on Thursday (March 10).
Salonga goes down history as one of the country’s most esteemed statesmen.
For the youth of today who may have not known the man, who is Jovito Salonga?
Salonga was born on June 22, 1920 from poor beginnings and became a brilliant lawyer. In 1961, he was elected representative of Rizal province. He then became senator for 12 years, from 1965 to 1972 and from 1987 to 1992.
Among the high points of Salonga’s reverred career in politics are outlined thus:
1. Second longest-living Senate president.
He served as Senate president from 1987 to 1991.
2. 3-time Senatorial polls topnotcher (undisputed).
He placed first in the 1965, 1971, and 1987 senatorial elections. He ran under the Liberal Party (LP) banner in all 3.
3. Bar topnotcher.
He and Jose W. Diokno topped the 1944 bar examinations, where they both obtained a 95.3% grade.
4. Alumnus of both the Harvard and Yale Law Schools.
He obtained his Masters of Law degree from Harvard Law School in 1948, and his Doctor of Law degree from Yale Law School in 1949.
5. Ran for President in 1992 under Liberal Party and lost to Fidel V. Ramos.
He was LP’s presidential candidate, with Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr as his running-mate.
However, Salonga won only 2.3 million votes, placing sixth in the 7-person presidential race, won by Fidel V. Ramos.
6. Imprisoned during the Japanese occupation and Martial Law regimes.
In 1942, during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, Salonga was arrested for spreading anti-Japanese propaganda. Luckily, he was pardoned the following year after his name was drawn in a raffle during Japan’s foundation day ceremonies.
Then, in 1980, during Martial Law, Salonga was implicated in a minor bombing incident shortly after President Ferdinand Marcos’ keynote speech in an event at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
7. Survived the 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing.
During an LP proclamation rally at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila, for the 1971 senatorial elections, a grenade was thrown on stage. The explosion seriously injured some LP party members and senatorial candidates, including Salonga, whose left eye was permanently damaged.
8. Became the first chairman of the PCGG.
Days after the 1986 People Power Revolution, then-President Corazon Aquino created the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to go after the ill-gotten wealth of the toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his cronies, among other duties.
9. One of the 12 senators in 1991 who voted against the RP-US Bases Treaty.
The treaty between the Philippines and the United States sought to extend the operation of American bases in the country, following the expiration of the 1947 Military Bases Agreement.
Senate President Salonga broke an 11-11 tie and voted against the treaty.
10. Father of the Anti-Plunder Law.
When he was elected senator in 1987, Salonga took with him the lessons he learned from the PCGG. Existing laws like the Anti-Graft and Corruption Practices Act “were clearly inadequate to cope with the magnitude of the corruption and thievery committed during the Marcos years,” he said.
As a result, Salonga authored Republic Act 7080 or the Anti-Plunder Law, signed by President Corazon Aquino in 1991.
To the late champion of democracy, Jovito Salonga, your legacy will live forever.
