Senator Salonga was sui generis, a class of his own. Any senator who serves in the Senate will have to be measured by the Salonga standard. This titan of nationalism left giant footprints which have impacted our nation for good.

I respectfully suggest that with the family’s consent, a joint Senate-House necrological service be held either in the Batasan or in the Senate. Though widely praised for his courageous steering of an independent Senate, Senator Salonga was once a member of the House of Representatives, representing Rizal.

I urge all presidential candidates to suspend their campaign on the day of the memorial, not just in honor of a great patriot and statesman, but with all the noise the electoral season is generating, the country could need a moment of silence from the campaign trail.