Speech of Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III
Necrological Services for Former Senator Dominador R. Aytona

02 October 2017

The Aytona family, my colleagues who are present here- Senator Villar, Senator, former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, former Senator Eddie Illarde, to former Senator and Mayor Fred Lim, to the Senate family, to my fellow Filipinos, good morning at magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat.

We always say that education is the key to success. The man we honor today is proof of this statement. But more than a simple success story, the life of former Senator Dominador R. Aytona is also about making use of this success to help others, especially those most in need.

Rising from humble beginnings, he finished his studies with high honors and joined public service. He served as a financial adviser to the Senate, Commissioner of the Budget under President Magsaysay, and Secretary of Finance under President Garcia.

But it was in his service as a Senator from 1965-1971 where he made his lasting mark. Remembering his life’s journey as a working student and public servant, he sought to improve the quality of life of students, of civil servants, and of all Filipinos. It was former Senator Aytona who authored the law that established the Bicol University, the law that created the Students Loan Fund Authority, the law that standardized salaries of the employees of the General Auditing Office, and the law that increased salaries of the employees of the Bureau of Post.

He likewise authored the law that created the Price Control Council that limited the maximum selling price of essential goods, the law that regulated rentals of dwelling units, and the law that accelerated the implementation of the Agrarian Reform Program.

Clearly, Senator Aytona, despite reaching the heights of success in his chosen field, did not forget the welfare of the ordinary Filipino. Every law he crafted was aimed at improving the quality of life of the people, easing their burdens and giving them more opportunities to succeed as he had.

With his death, we lost a model Filipino and a true public servant.

During his life, I have not personally met the late Senator Aytona but from reading about his life story, I could see the value of hard work which marked his life - hard work in school, hard work as appointive government official, hard work as elective government official and hard work even after his life as a public official.

We in the Senate lost someone who enriched our history and tradition of excellence in serving the Filipino people. Let us honor his memory by never forgetting his cause of giving every Filipino a chance at a better life.

Maraming salamat po.