Atty. Rene Gandiongco Espina, the last senator of the Old Congress
The 7th Congress was the national legislature in existence when Martial Law was declared on September 21, 1972. Two days after, Congress, both the House of Representatives and the House of Senate, was dissolved. It was revived in 1987 after the EDSA Revolution which ended on September 25, 1986 and the passage of the 1987 Constitution.
When Congress was restored by the 1987 Constitution, it was then referred as the New Congress and the last as the Old Congress. Atty. Rene Gandiongco Espina was the last senator of the Old Congress who lived. He was elected senator during the November 11, 1969 national election.
The 1969 election (Ferdinand Marcos of the Nacionalista Party was reelected President in that election) had eight senatorial seats available to complete the 24-man senate. Rene Espina of the Nacionalista Party placed 7th, the only victor from Central Visayas. His peers of the winning circle were: Arturo Tolentino (NP), Gil Puyat (NP), Jose Diokno (NP), Lorenzo Sumulong (NP), Ambrosio Padilla (LP), Gerardo Roxas (LP) and Mamintal Tamano (NP).
The 7th Congress was convened on January 26, 1970 with Gil Puyat as its President, Jose Roy as Senate President Pro Tempore, Arturo Tolentino as Majority Floor Leader and Gerardo Roxas as Minority Floor Leader.
Senator Espina’s co-members of the senate (to complete the 24): Alejandro Almendras (NP), Magnolia Antonino (NP), Benigno Aquino Jr (LP), Dominador Aytona (NP), Helena Benitez (NP), Jose Diono (NP), Eva Estrada Kalaw (NP), Wenceslao Lagumbay (NP), Salvador Laurel (NP), Genaro Magsaysay (NP), Sergio Osmena Jr. (LP), Ambrosio Padilla (LP), Emmanuel Pelaez (NP), Jovito Salonga (LP), Lorenzo Tanada (NP) and Lorenzo Teves (NP).
Rene, a bar topnocher of the 1954 bar exams, was officially admitted to the Bar on January 22, 1955. He became the youngest administrator of the Social Security System at age 31, elected as Cebu governor in 1963 and reelected in 1967. Appointed as secretary of Public Works and became the builder of the Mactan Bridge. He married Rufinita “Pining” de Leon Remollo of the political clan of Oriental Negros, his ever-beautiful and only love that was his inspiration in all his achievements. Senator Rene was born December 26, 1929 and died on September 13, 2019. His legacy lives with the roads and bridges he built and the laws he crafted, among them was the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, the precursor of today’s Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
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