Legarda Urges DepEd to Build Green Schools, Restore Heritage School Buildings

Senator Loren Legarda today renewed her call for the Department of Education (DepEd) to build green schools and restore heritage school buildings in the country during the hearing on the proposed 2017 budget of the Department.

Legarda, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, reminded the DepEd to ensure that the new classrooms being built to address classroom shortage are climate-resilient.

Legarda to Asian Judges: We Must Uphold the Rule of Law for the Sake of the Planet

“Do the future generations, our children and grandchildren, deserve the Earth we are leaving behind for them?” asked Senator Loren Legarda as she stressed the importance of upholding the rule of law in addressing climate change during the Third Asian Judges Symposium on Law, Policy and Climate Change organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), together with the Supreme Court of the Philippines and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Legarda Urges DTI to Prioritize Micro Enterprises in Poorest Areas in the Country

Recognizing the vital role of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in economic growth and poverty alleviation, Senator Loren Legarda, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, urged the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to reach out to the poorest sectors, especially those in regions with high poverty incidence, by providing them access to livelihood opportunities.

Legarda Calls for Aggressive Efforts to Address Coral Destruction, Declining Fish Catch

Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, has urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to boost efforts in rehabilitating the country’s coral reefs and marine ecosystems as she expressed alarm over reports of significant decline in marine fish catch by 2050.

Legarda to DSWD: Spend Remaining 4B Funds for Poorest Filipinos

Senator Loren Legarda today said that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) must use the remaining Four Billion Pesos from its 2015 budget for the poorest Filipinos.

During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance chaired by Legarda, the DSWD said that as of January 2016, unobligated funds of the Department from its 2015 budget was 18.46 Billion Pesos. As of August 31, 2016, they still have a remaining balance worth 4 Billion Pesos. Since the said fund is from the 2015 budget, any excess by the end of the year will revert to the national treasury.