Veteran lawmaker, rights lawyer Edcel Lagman; 82
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, a martial law survivor and human rights lawyer who fought the Marcos dictatorship and later became a stalwart of liberal politics in the Philippines, died on Jan. 30. He was 82.
His daughter, Tabaco Mayor Krisel Lagman, announced his passing due to cardiac arrest around 5 p.m. on Thursday.
“He left this world the way he lived his life: with integrity, compassion, and fearlessness. He fought until the end with the dogged determination, tenacity and unshakeable hopefulness that defined all that he stood for,” said the Tabaco mayor.
LP pillar
“He will be remembered and honored by his family, friends, and colleagues as a remarkable and generous father; a warm, thoughtful and loving brother, uncle and ‘lolo;’ a true and loyal friend; and an upright, principled, and unwavering advocate of human rights and the rule of law,” she added.
Lagman, who would have turned 83 on May 1, had been the president of the embattled Liberal Party (LP) since 2022, which saw him steer the premartial law-era party under the administration of the son and namesake of dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
He remained vocal about demanding accountability from the Marcoses, famously saying that there could be “no forgiveness without remorse and repentance from the surviving martial law implementers, perpetrators, and beneficiaries.”
The Lagman family was active in the antidictatorship struggle in the 1970s and 1980s. His two younger brothers suffered tragic fates: Hermon, a lawyer, was abducted along with labor organizer Victor Reyes on May 11, 1977, by suspected state agents; Filemon, who went underground during martial law, was assassinated by unknown gunmen at the University of the Philippines (UP) Bahay ng Alumni on Feb. 6, 2001.
A graduate of UP Diliman, Lagman served eight terms as a member of the House of Representatives as Albay’s first district representative. During the 17th Congress, Lagman became the leader of the self-styled “Magnificent 7” opposition bloc critical of the Duterte administration.
Among his key acts as legislator include getting the Reproductive Health Act of 2012 passed by a conservative Congress and getting the divorce bill which he authored through third reading last May.
‘Fearless legislator’
Speaker Martin Romualdez paid tribute to Lagman, saying he was “more than a colleague—he was a passionate and fearless legislator whose presence in the House of Representatives commanded respect.”
“Cong. Edcel was known for his sharp intellect, unwavering principles, and deep commitment to the causes he believed in. Whether one agreed with him or not, no one could deny his dedication to his work and his tireless advocacy for human rights, good governance and social justice,” Romualdez said.
