SENATOR SONIA M. ROCO #51: MODEL EDUCATOR and SOCIAL REFORMER

I had a haircut the other day and my barber said, “ I read your very persuasive and convincing endorsement of Joey de Venecia III, but although your objective reasons were good, I think the subjective ones were more dominant. How about naming at least two candidates that you are voting for who are not your personal or family friend but whom you believe would be good Senators?”

My response was immediate: “ SONIA M. ROCO and GENERAL DANNY LIM.” Let me tell you why and in this blog, I will start with

SONIA M. ROCO: INANG GURO

She is not a personal or family friend. I only knew her husband, the late Senator and Presidential Candidate Raul Roco, who was my former college professor, varsity debate and impromptu speaking coach and idol in San Beda College. I also know that a townmate of mine, Olga Coloma Flores was a classmate and close friend of hers in St. Joseph’s College where she (Roco) graduated Summa Cum Laude (With Highest Honors). I also know that among the chosen Ten Outstanding Students in the Philippines at that time which included Raul Roco and then Sonia Malasarte, the latter was selected the Most Outstanding Student. I used to tell my friends that the closest thing to a Bill and Hillary Clinton combination in the Philippines is a Raul and Sonia Roco one. The comparison, of course, was based only on intellectual capacity, political skills and involvement, and good-looking appearance, nothing more.

When we launched in the Philippines the eBook technology and the eBookMan device, which is the predecessor of Amazon’s Kindle, Sonia Roco was not only there together with top academic leaders, she also became one of the first owners of a revolutionary device whose features included being an eBook Reader, an Audio book Player, MP3 Player, Voice Recorder, an electronic organizer, with an Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus, Holy Bible/Koran and a whole library of eBooks: all in one. It was dubbed as a “Library in Your Pocket, Knowledge at Your Fingertips.” The smart device is what the IPAD, NOOK, IPHONE, Nokia, Palm, Pocket PC, and other handheld devices are now trying to emulate.

As I stated in my previous blog, we need Senator/s for, by and of the “E-GENERATION” – a generation which is not only concerned with electronic media or communications but also those who are deeply involved or interested in “Education (e-learning, eBooks, e-Libraries, experience & empirical studies)), Economic growth (employment, entrepreneurship, equity expansion), Environment, Empowerment, Enlightenment, Ecumenism, Energy Independence and Excellent health care.”

For the present and the future, the intellectual development and security of the current and next generation is a responsibility that the elders and lawmakers of today and tomorrow must all face. Knowledge and education represent the mind and body of economic growth and development. Knowledge enlightens and empowers the sovereign people in controlling their environment, their natural resources for energy independence and the effective and efficient utilization of the financial and technological resources to deliver excellent health care. An educated, empowered, enlightened, healthy, and energized citizenry would create a more democratic, humane, just, tolerant and ecumenical society.

Sonia M. Roco, the model educator and knowledge manager, not just rightly represents the E-Generation but actually embodies and personifies it. Saved by the Almighty God from a deadly earthquake in Baguio City, Philippines years ago, to fulfill an unfinished mission, sociologist and social reformer Senator Sonia Roco is expected to author and pass laws and work with the Aquino-Roxas Administration in instituting educational, economic, environmental, health, and social reforms.

The Filipino people and the country need Sonia Roco in the Senate. For the intellectual security of the Philippines, I am voting for Roco. I urge every right thinking Filipino to do the same. If Raul Roco is dubbed by some historical writers as “the best President the Philippines never had,” Sonia Malasarte Roco shall be dubbed as the best Senator the Philippines should and will have.