Raul S. Roco
AdNU HS’56

Former Senator and Secretary of Education Raul S. Roco was an outstanding student at the Naga Parochial School, Ateneo de Naga, San Beda College and University of Pennsylvania. He was one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines in 1964.

Representing the 2nd District of Camarines Sur, he was adjudged by the Ford Foundation and the UP Institute of Strategic Development Studies as first in over-all performance among legislators at the Eight Congress.

As Senator, Roco was considered the Father of Bangko Sentral. He liberalized the banking industry and strengthened the Thrift Banks. He authored the Intellectual Property Code and Securities Regulation Code.

Raul also founded the increment mandated by the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers for retiring public school teachers.

Called the “Honorary Woman”, Roco authored the Women in Nation Building Law, the Nursing Act, the Anti-Sexual Harassment Law, the Anti-Rape Law and Child and Family Courts Act.

For his “exemplary performance in the Senate Impeachment trial”, he was awarded the Bantay Katarungan Award.

As Secretary of Education, Raul implemented for the first time, free public primary and high school education. He protected teacher’s welfare, endured prompt payment for their salaries, prohibited illegal deductions and campaigned against the 2% service fee deducted by the payroll group from teacher’s pay. He implements the long delayed Basic Education Curriculum (BEC), which focused the child on Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Science and Makabayan.