Raul Sagarbarria Roco (October 26, 1941 – August 5, 2005) was a political figure in the Philippines.
He was the standard-bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko, which he founded in 1997 as a vehicle for
his presidential bids in 1998 and 2004.
He was a former senator and the Secretary of the Department of Education under the presidency
of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
He had a strong following among young voters in the Philippines, due to his efforts to
promote honesty and good governance.
Roco was married to Sonia Cubillo Malasarte, who is from Bohol.
They have six children (Robbie Pierre, Raul Jr., Sophia, Sareena, Rex and Synara) and
seven grandchildren (Nica, Reece, Samantha, Shania, Santina, Beannie and RB).
== Early life & education == Raúl Roco was born in Naga City in the Philippine
province of Camarines Sur, the son of farmer Sulpicio Azuela Roco and public school teacher
Rosario Orlanda Sagarbarria.
Roco finished elementary school at age 10 from Naga Parochial School, and high school
at age 14 from Ateneo de Naga.
He graduated magna cum laude from San Beda College in Manila with a degree in English
at the age of 18.
Then, he was also the Editor-in-Chief of The Bedan working with the likes of Rene Saguisag
and Jaime Licauco.
Later, Roco received a Bachelor of Laws degree (also at San Beda College) and was the college's
Abbott Awardee for Over-All Excellence.
In the United States, he obtained his Master of Laws at the University of Pennsylvania,
while also enrolled at the Wharton School.
He was the president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines in 1961 and
was named one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines in 1964.
His wife Sonia was the Most Outstanding Student that same year.
As a result of his various other achievements, he had been awarded seven honorary doctorates.
== Political/professional career == After he passed the bar in 1965, Roco lobbied
for the holding of a Constitutional Convention that aimed to amend the 1935 Philippine Constitution.
He campaigned for a seat to represent his district in Camarines Sur.
He won and thus became convention's youngest Bicolano delegate.
From 1983 to 1985, he served as president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
While there, he was on the legal staff of the late Philippine Senator Benigno "Ninoy"
Aquino, and he drafted the Study Now, Pay Later law.
Alongside his work in law, he has also served as a film producer.
In 1974, he was the executive producer of the late film director Lino Brocka's movie
Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang; this film won six FAMAS awards that year, including best
film.
Among all legislators of the Eighth Congress of the Philippines (which lasted from 1987–1992),
he was adjudged by the Ford Foundation and the University of the Philippines Institute
of Strategic and Development Studies as first in over-all performance.
=== Senate === Roco was elected to the Senate in 1992 and
1995 serving until 2001, making many contributions that led many to recognize him as an "outstanding
senator".
He wrote the law which reformed the nation's banking system; this earned him the title
"Father of the Bangko Sentral".
Some other laws that he wrote resulted in the liberalization of the banking industry
and the strengthening of the thrift banks.
In addition, he wrote the Intellectual Property Code and the Securities Regulation Code.
Roco has also made several contributions to education in the Philippines.
He helped fund the teachers’ cooperatives as well as the increment mandated by the Magna
Carta for Public School Teachers for retiring public school teachers.
On the students’ side, he helped bring computers into Philippine universities, colleges, and
public schools.
In addition, he devised a plan for meal scholarships for poor students at the Philippine Normal
University.
Roco wrote several bills targeted at protecting and prioritizing women in the Philippines.
He wrote the Women in Nation Building Law, the Nursing Act, the Anti-Sexual Harassment
Law, the Anti-Rape Law, and the Child and Family Courts Act.
He also let women play major roles in the Department of Education’s literacy program.
Out of thanks to his services for women, many women's groups named him an "Honorary Woman".
He also drafted a bill that abolished double taxation on Filipinos working abroad.
He was given the Bantay Katarungan award by Kilosbayan for playing an integral role in
the Senate impeachment trial of then-president Joseph Estrada who was impeached by the House
of Representatives on 2000 for graft and corruption.
bribery, betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Philippine Constitution.
Unfortunately, the impeachment trial was not concluded and on 2001, Estrada was ousted
from power by another People Power uprising.
=== As Secretary of Education === Roco took over as education secretary of the
Philippines in 2001, at a time when the Philippines had not only one of the ten most corrupt governments
in the world (according to Transparency International), but its Department of Education was also the
fourth-most corrupt of its agencies (as named by the Asia Foundation - Social Weather Stations
Survey of Enterprises on Public Sector Corruption).
To combat this corruption, Roco imposed a department-wide transparency policy which
also held employees accountable for the purchase of textbooks, which had been a major source
of the department's corruption.
This allowed the department to purchase textbooks for a much lower price, and after just eight
months under Roco's leadership, the Department of Education gained a 73% public approval
rating and became the most trusted government agency in the Philippines.
During his tenure in that position, Roco allowed free public education (through high school)
as required by the Philippine Constitution.
He also enacted a reform of basic education curriculum in order that children would focus
their studies on reading, writing, arithmetic, science, and Makabayan.
In addition, he made sure that teachers were paid promptly and ended the 3% "service fee"
that the department had long been deducting from teachers' pay.
== Candidacy for President ==
=== 1998 === Roco ran for president in the 1998 Philippine
election.
He lost to Vice-President Joseph Estrada but had a remarkable showing in a field of eleven
candidates despite being an independent candidate.
His strong showing was attributed to the widespread support he received from young Filipinos who
eventually formed his party, Aksyon Demokratiko, and its youth arm, Aksyon Kabataan.
Party leaders then included Jaime Galvez Tan, Lorna Patajo-Kapunan and Darwin Mariano.
=== 2004 === Roco rode his success in the Department of
Education into a run for the Philippine presidency.
His candidacy was based on his ability to fight corruption and to display fair play,
decency, and honor.
His Aksyon Demokratiko party formed a coalition with Promdi and Reporma, the parties of 1998
presidential candidates Lito Osmeña and Renato de Villa, to form the Alyansa ng Pag-asa (Alliance
of Hope).
Roco was a front-runner in pre-election surveys and was considered a strong contender.
However, during the campaign, he battled with [recurrence of his cancer], after remission
from his bout with prostate cancer in 1996.
His illness forced him to leave the campaign trail for medical attention in the United
States.
Doctors told him that his condition was not life-threatening and that he could continue
his run for the presidency.
He returned to the campaign trail, but concerns about his illness greatly diminished his support.
He lost the election to the incumbent, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and finished fourth in a
field of 5 candidates.
He was the President of Aksyon Demokratiko until his death.
== Death == On 5 August 2005, Raul Roco died of prostate
cancer, at St Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City.
He was buried on August 11 in Naga City, Camarines Sur.His widow, Sonia, was beaten for Senator
under the Genuine Opposition (formerly United Opposition) umbrella in the May 14, 2007 midterm
elections and still representing the party he started, Aksyon Demokratiko, in the hopes
of continuing the advocacies that her late husband had started.
== See also == Philippine general election, 2004
Philippine general election, 1998
== References ==
== External links == Official website
Aksyon Demokratiko Biography at the Senate of the Philippines
website Former senator Roco dies News of his death
and obituary in the Philippine Inquirer Ex-senator Roco passes away (11.01 a.m.) News
of his death in the Sunstar Raul Roco succumbs to prostate cancer Article
from ABS-CBN news The grass will be greener the next day Article
from INQ7.net Malacañan: Roco a true patriot, freedom fighter
Article from ABS-CBN with reactions from other Philippine politicians
Roco in search of Camelot Philippine Daily Inquirer article
A single photographic tribute to the great Late Senator Roco Aboard PR103 with Rob, Lyds
and Ron Oania