FORMER Senator Heherson “Sonny” Alvarez died on Monday after getting sick with the COVID-19 virus. He was 80.

Mr. Alvarez served as a senator for two terms and was later elected congressman. He is survived by his wife Cecille and two children. He was a delegate of the 1971 Constitutional Convention and was among those who opposed the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III and Senator Ralph G. Recto mourned the passing of Mr. Alvarez, whom they both worked with in past Congresses.

“I had the great opportunity to learn from this reasonable and hard-working lawmaker as a neophyte senator in 1992 when I first joined the Senate,” Mr. Sotto said in a statement.

Mr. Recto said he worked with Mr. Alvarez at the House of Representatives in the 11th Congress. “He crafted policies, defended these on the floor and interpellated in plenary with the skill of a seasoned parliamentarian and the undiminished passion of a patriot,” he said in a separate statement.

Mr. Recto also praised Mr. Alvarez for his advocacies as an environmentalist. “He was no longer a politician with the next election in mind, but a statesman concerned about the next generation.” — Charmaine A. Tadalan

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