Secretary of Education
What was the position of Raul Roco after Aug 2001?
Raul Roco 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 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 and education . Raul 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 12 from Naga Parochial School , and high school at age 16 from Ateneo de Naga . He graduated magna cum laude from San Beda College ( now San Beda University ) in Manila with a degree in English at the age of 20 . 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 colleges 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 conventions 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 Brockas 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 to 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 nations 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 Educations literacy program . Out of thanks to his services for women , many womens 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 1987 Philippine Constitution . Unfortunately , the impeachment trial was not concluded and in 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 departments corruption . This allowed the department to purchase textbooks for a much lower price , and after just eight months under Rocos 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 Lukes Medical Center in Quezon City . He was buried on August 11 in Naga City , Camarines Sur . His widow , Sonia , lost her bid for Senator under the Genuine Opposition ( formerly United Opposition ) umbrella in the May 14 , 2007 midterm elections . She still represents the party he started , Aksyon Demokratiko , in the hope of continuing the advocacies that her late husband had started .