Former Senator Teresa “Tessie” Aquino-Oreta, sister of the late senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., died of undisclosed reasons in her hometown of Malabon last night, her son said today.
“It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my mom at 10:48 p.m. of May 14,” said Malabon Mayor Lenlen Oreta.
The mayor described his late mother as “a public servant who devoted her life to the country and her adopted hometown of Malabon. She was a loving grandmother, mother, and wife and a friend to those whose lives she touched.”
“We ask for your prayers for mom,” he implored.
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Aquino-Oreta worked for three years in the Senate, where she was elected in 1998 under the Laban ng Makabayang Pilipino (“Fight of the Nationalistic Filipino”) political party. Her legislative advocacies include supporting public school teachers and their students, modernizing education, and making literacy pervasive in the country.
The late lawmaker is also responsible for ordering the issuance of payslips for public school teachers for the first time in August 2000, which she pushed after learning that the teachers were kept in the dark about deductions from their salaries because they weren’t given the document on paydays.
Notable bills that the former senator authored include the Republic Act (RA) 8972 or the Solo Parent Act, RA 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act, and RA 8749 or the Clean Air Act.
Aquino-Oreta was the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts, and Culture in the 11th Congress.
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