La Vida Roco
BY AUBREY SC MAKILAN
Bulatlat.com
Son of a farmer and a public school teacher, former Senator
and Education Secretary Raul S. Roco was born in Naga City.
He finished high school at the age of 14 in Ateneo de Naga.
At 18, he graduated magna cum laude at San Beda College,
where he later obtained his Law degree as Abbot's Awardee
for Over-all Excellence. He was the editor of The Bedan,
the college’s student publication and was the one
who wrote the lyrics of the San Beda Hymn.
Roco took up his Master of Comparative Law as a university
fellow at the University of Pennsylvania where he was cross-enrolled
at Wharton for Multinational Studies.
He was executive producer of Lino Brocka's award-winning
movie Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang.
Roco was the youngest Bicolano delegate to the Constitutional
Convention as well as the youngest president of the Integrated
Bar of the Philippines (IBP) from 1983-1985. He drafted
the Study Now Pay Later Plan when he was still one of the
legal staff of Sen. Ninoy Aquino.
As representative of Camarines Sur’s second district,
the Ford Foundation and the University of the Philippines
Institute of Strategic and Development Studies regarded
Roco as first in over-all performance among legislators
of the Eighth Congress.
Roco authored 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 prioritized women
in the DECS literacy program. He was later called the "Honorary
Woman."
As an oppositionist during the impeachment trial of former
President Joseph Estrada, he was awarded the Bantay Katarungan
Award for his "exemplary performance.” The trial,
which exposed the corrupt and immoral Estrada presidency,
ignited the people’s anger and paved the way to the
uprising that toppled Estrada and installed President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo.
A grateful Macapagal-Arroyo immediately gave to Roco the
most sought-after department after public works and highway – the
Department of Education (DepEd).
Under fire
In May 2002, DepEd employees protested against Roco for
allowing the use of DepEd chauffeur Pablito Aquino, to
be the personal driver of his wife. They claimed that under
government rules, the use of a DepEd employee by someone
not connected with the department is not allowed. Roco
said there was nothing wrong at all with his wife's use
of his driver, or of his use of private helicopters rented
for around P200,000 in two days to visit school building
constructions. He added that instead of having a backup
and a bodyguard, he preferred to have two drivers.
Roco again received much flak after he moved for the second
time the schedule of the the “Palarong Pambansa,” a
national sports festival, citing the Philippine Sports
Commission’s (PSC) failure to release the P36 million
budget.
Critics called Roco a killjoy and his move a “knee-jerk
reaction.” Even as PSC chairman Eric Buhain appealed
for reconsideration stating that the cancellation would
mean two years without Palaro, Roco stood still with a “No” answer.
Meanwhile, it was under also Roco's watch that the Basic
Education Curriculum (BEC), known as the “Millennium
Curriculum,” was implemented, earning him complaints
from educators and students.
IBON Foundation, a research institution, criticized the
BEC as catering to the needs of transnational corporations
for highly skilled and technically proficient workers at
the expense of nationalism. Antonio Tinio, president of
the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), said the DepEd
rushed the implementation of the program to catch up with
the full implementation of World Trade Organization agreements
in 2004.
Furthermore, Tinio said that 400,000 teachers nationwide
were trained simultaneously for only about a week, doubting
if the teachers clearly understood the concept of the program.
Even Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta, main author of Republic
Act No. 9155 or the Governance of Basic Education Act,
said that since a number of teachers then were not prepared
to teach the new curriculum, the "outcome of learning" among
students in public schools nationwide will be sacrificed
and eventually suffer.
On Aug. 13, Roco resigned after the president endorsed
the investigation of corruption charges filed against him
by the DepEd Central Office Employees’ Union to the
Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC). He was accused
of unethical practices, including the use of public funds
to print DepEd posters that displayed his photo prominently.
Roco denied any misconduct and complained of being a victim
of politics.
Many agreed that the posters were being used by Roco to
earn personal publicity ahead of the presidential elections.
That his resignation was an over-reaction. Or that Roco
seized the opportunity to bolt out of the increasingly
unpopular Macapagal-Arroyo government and start preparing
for the 2004 elections.
On the other hand, they also believed that Roco was eased
out because he was a potential rival of President Macapagal-Arroyo
who at the time was still very much in the running for
the 2004 elections.
Survey topnotcher
There is no denying however the credibility that Roco enjoys,
made even higher by the controversies that surrounded his
resignation.
He is a consistent topnatcher among presidentiables in
several surveys. Among the most recent was the Social Weather
Station (SWS) national survey conducted on Dec. 7-15 with
a national sample of 1,200 respondents. From a list of
10 possible candidates for president, Roco emerged number
one with 24%, followed by movie star Fernando Poe Jr.,
21%; former media man now senator Noli de Castro, 19%;
Macapagal-Arroyo, 13%; former police chief and now senator
Panfilo Lacson, 6%; former broadcaster and now senator
Loren Legarda-Leviste, 4%; opposition leader Edgardo Angara,
3%; Senators Franklin Drilon and Aquilino Pimentel, 2%
each; and Vice President Teofisto Guingona, 1%.
In Pulse Asia’s nationwide survey among 2,400 respondents,
conducted from Nov. 6- 22, Roco got 19% of the vote, Poe
17%, de Castro 16%, and Macapagal-Arroyo 12%.
Meanwhile, a recent online poll conducted by the Filipino
Computer Club (FCC) in Dubai revealed that Filipinos in
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have also chosen Roco. He,
who was recently rumored to have fallen ill due to cancer,
received an overwhelming 46% of the votes. He was followed
by the president and FPJ with 22% and 13 % respectively.
The president of his own party, Aksyon Demokratiko, Roco
already ran for president in 1998 and finished third behind
Joseph Estrada and House Speaker Jose de Venecia. It was
in fact an impressive performance considering his limited
party machinery.
Despite the survey results, Roco still needs to make himself
more appealing to the lower classes, where, needless to
say, a huge chunk of the votes come from. His intellectual
and hardworking image may be a success with the middle
and upper classes but their votes could be easily wiped
out by the overwhelming popularity of Fernando Poe Jr.,
even by a rival who has Noli de Castro as running mate.
His trademark campaign attire – colorful Hawaiian
polo shirts – will certainly be not enough to get
him to Malacañang.
Bulatlat.com
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