Press Release
February 3, 2011

ANGARA: UP PEJA FELLOWS SET TO STEER RP'S PROGRESS

Senator Edgardo J. Angara tasked four prominent educators from the University of the Philippines, who were the first recipients of a fellowship award named in his honor, to uplift the state of public discourse in our country.

"We all know that public debate in the Philippines is more entertaining than enlightening. That's why some of the best and brightest minds in the academe are here, both in the selection panel and the group of awardees, to provide insights into policy, developmental issues, economics, and law among other fields," he said.

Angara and UP President Emerlinda R. Roman led a distinguished group of academics and philanthropists who honored the first batch of Angara fellows in a ceremony held on Wednesday night at the Manila Polo Club.

The awardees, namely Prof. Raul Fabella of the UP School of Economics; Prof. Raul Pangalangan of the UP College of Law, Prof. Ramon Pedro Paterno of the Institute of Health Policy and Development Studies in UP Manila, and Prof. Gerardo P. Sicat of the UP School of Economics, each received grants worth Php500,000 to undertake high level research oriented toward national development.

According to the veteran senator, the pioneers of the Angara fellowship and the members of the academe deserve to be publicly commended for their lifelong work on public policy and national development issues.

"By rights, these people should be as famous as our star athletes and celebrities because of their dedication to our nation's progress. This is our chance to level the playing field and give the intellectuals of our country--the unsung heroes of today--the honor and respect they deserve."

Angara, who served as UP president from 1981 to 1987, also expressed his gratitude for his family and friends who put up the initial Php50 Million for the endowment.

"We hope that through this unique award, we can establish a tradition of philanthropy in our country."

He quipped, "It has been is quite difficult to separate our businessmen from their money but nevertheless we were still able to put together a sizable amount for our grant, which shows that a lot of people are committed to the advancement and development of our country."

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