Legarda: Earthquake Preparedness Must Be a Way of Life

Senator Loren Legarda today renewed her call for heightened earthquake preparedness and stressed that disaster preparedness should be a way of life so that natural hazards, such as earthquakes, would not turn into tragic events.

Legarda made the statement following the 1st Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) held today under the government’s #BidaAngHanda campaign led by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

Legarda Lauds 2017 FDI Increase, Says it Must Benefit the Poor

Senator Loren Legarda today lauded the increase in foreign direct investments (FDIs) to the Philippines as she urged government to ensure that it would not only result in a more robust economy but also benefit poor Filipinos.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, made the statement following the report of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. that FDI net inflows during the period January-November 2017 exceeded the projection for 2017.

Legarda: Senate Approves on 2nd Reading the Cybercrime Convention, Agreement Establishing AMRO, and Double Taxation Avoidance Treaties

The Senate approved today on second reading five treaties, namely, Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) Between the Philippines and Mexico, Agreement Establishing the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) as an International Organization, DTAA Between the Philippines and Thailand, Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, and DTAA Between the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Legarda: Benham Rise Research Funded Since 2016

Senator Loren Legarda today said that, as Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, she has allocated funds for the Philippine Rise (Benham Rise) expedition as early as 2016 and every year thereafter.

Legarda, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that in 2016, she allocated Php500 Million in the budget of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau’s (DENR-BMB) Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program (CMEMP) to fund research and biodiversity assessment nationwide. Php47 Million of the Php500 Million was allocated for Philippine Rise, for equipment, for assessment and for its management framework.

Legarda Hails Enactment of Free Irrigation Law

Senator Loren Legarda today hailed the President’s signing into law of the Free Irrigation Service Act (Republic Act No. 10969), which will benefit small farmers.

Legarda, co-author of the measure, said that the law ensures that small farmers with landholdings of eight hectares and below will continue to be exempted from paying irrigation service fees (ISF) for water derived from irrigation systems under the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).