Early Life and Career
Edgardo Angara was born in Baler, Aurora. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines in 1958. While in university, he joined the Sigma Rho Fraternity. Upon graduation, he was elected to the Pi Gamma Mu and Phi Kappa Phi international honor societies. He earned his LL.M. from the University of Michigan Law School in the United States in 1964.
In May 1972, Angara together with classmates (and fraternity brothers from Sigma Rho) from the UP College of Law and Juan Ponce Enrile, founded the ACCRA Law Offices, which became the country's most recognized and prestigious law firm in less than a decade. From 1981 to 1987, Angara became president of the University of the Philippines. He rallied alumni in the country and abroad to pool their resources for various projects to mark UP's diamond jubilee in 1983, including the creation of additional professorial chairs and faculty grants. Through his efforts, the liberal arts curriculum was strengthened, a seven-year honors medical curriculum installed, humanities and science were energized, and a multi-campus university organization was instituted.
He defended the state university's tradition of dissent and fiscal autonomy, while maintaining its reputation for academic excellence. He established stronger links with the business community and alumni organizations, raising the biggest faculty endowment in the university.
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