All things education with my cousin Sonny

It’s no secret that my biggest advocacy is education.

Since 2009, I have had the privilege of working with some of the greatest leaders whose education agendas have transformed Philippine education for the better. Just recently I had the chance to chat with my cousin Sonny Angara on his aspirations for a better Philippines by empowering the youth through education and sports.

This was really exciting for me as it reminded me of the days when the late SEJA, as we fondly called Senator Edgardo Angara, shared his “pearls” of wisdom to me and to those who’s heart was in education.

On the other hand, however, because Sonny and I are more or less in the same generation, it was even more exciting to exchange thoughts as equals.

All throughout my career, beginning as a humble teacher, my passion for education grew stronger up to the point where I got the chance to share my learnings from experts on radio.

Speaking with Sonny Angara on his long term vision for Filipino learners strengthened my belief that inclusivity in education is truly the gateway to a stronger Philippines. Just like many of us who learned from the great SEJA, Sonny’s inspiration is also deeply rooted from his father’s works. He learned that education will always be the greatest equalizer as it is the most effective way of breaking the cycle of chronic poverty that has kept millions of Filipinos sick, hungry, homeless and jobless. With an education, a person of modest means and of humble beginnings has at least a fighting chance at achieving success.

Having access to quality education is Sonny’s goal as a legislator because a person who receives a good education has been empowered for life. Educational reform as Sonny explains is essential to a more inclusive and equitable society. It levels the playing field and enables every person to find a job or earn a living. 

As our conversation went along, I had to ask about his take on women especially in leadership roles, and it was not surprising to see how much work Sonny has put into legislation to ensure that women in society continue to be recognized especially in essential roles in nation building. He further encouraged women to take more active roles in politics and in the decision making process of our society.

Although education as I mentioned is my biggest advocacy, I must also include my love for sports – something that my grand uncle former Education secretary Alejandro Roces also espoused. I am a lover of sports and growing up, my parents always encouraged us to join a sport because the discipline we learned from it was also something we practiced in our academic life.

My cousin Sonny shared the same goals when it came to sports. I was amazed by how much he knew in just every arena. Sonny explained to me that, through sports, our youth do not only build up their physical, mental and even emotional faculties – they also learn some very important life lessons like discipline, teamwork, and grit, as well as the importance of humor, fairness and meritocracy. Sports has the intrinsic power to build up the confidence and character of children, because they’re taught that success often comes to those who’ve worked the hardest. As an athlete this was something I could totally relate to. Hard work always taught me that success was achievable if you put your heart into it without making excuses.

Repeatedly one will hear me say that education is the solution to everything. Nowadays our most common topics on air point toward issues that involve education. When we talk about a change in mindset, we always go back to education. When we talk about reviving values, again, we go back to education. It seems and at long last, education is getting the spotlight and like my cousin Sonny says, leveling the playing field in education, empowering more women to take on leadership roles and encouraging the youth to engage in sports is certainly a dynamic combination that would help further transform our nation.