Commenting on the sorry state of education in the country in one of his past interviews, the senator - who was UP president for seven years - called the deteriorating situation "a ticking bomb." We have squandered our "intellectual capital," he said, pointing to the near-bottom rating of the Philippines in international achievement tests on various subjects, particularly in English comprehension.

When Angara was UP president, he fought for the State University to maintain its tradition of fiscal autonomy and academic excellence, linking up with the business community for faculty endowments. Naturally, having competent teachers is a key component in maintaining high academic standards - but how can the Philippines even expect students to have quality education if the teachers themselves - most especially in public schools - cannot even express themselves in good English, and lack the necessary teaching skills for Math, Science and other subjects that would give our youth at least a fighting chance in the global arena?

I am one of those who believe that if we are to give any form of charity to the less fortunate, the best kind would be anything that has to do with education. You can give money, material things, property and even land to people but these things can be lost. The only thing that will last is education - the one thing that cannot be sold or mortgaged, unlike "dole-outs" and virtual failures like the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program - where farmers ended up losing their land because they had to sell or mortgage their titles due to lack of agricultural support systems.

Even before he became Agriculture Secretary, Ed Angara already envisioned a fisheries modernization program where farmers and fisher folk would be given improved seeds and plant materials, provided better irrigation and given better financing and market access to improve their lot in life. Like gentlemen-farmers Danding Cojuangco and the late Enrique Zobel, Angara knew that the agriculture sector would be crucial in maintaining the country's food security and sufficiency.

More than giving land, what were equally important were post-harvest facilities for drying and storage of seeds and crops, farm-to-market roads and various infrastructure, as well as new technology to improve harvest. Obviously, the global food and rice crisis underscores the growing importance of the agriculture industry - a fact that people like Danding Cojuangco have been warning about for years.

Ed Angara turned 74 last Sept. 24. He could have been president, but fate had other plans. He would have probably made a good president, and I am certain he would have pushed education and agriculture as among the pillars of his presidency. But is it too late? Maybe not.