September 26, 2011
Mr. President,
I stand here today, two years since one of the most devastating typhoons unleashed its wrath in our country, to renew my call for the administration to translate “transformational leadership” into measurable gains in protecting people’s lives and livelihoods and building our resilience as a nation against the worsening state of disaster and climate risks.
We already know the risks.
Tropical storm Pedring entered the Philippines exactly two years after three successive tropical cyclones – Ondoy, Pepeng and […]
Read More
September 17, 2011
In 1996, a strong woman who I deeply cherish died battling with the Big C. Bessie Bautista Legarda, my mama, was a victim of breast cancer, and even though she was a strong woman, we knew that the disease hurt her physically and emotionally.
Cancer is a frightening disease. It could mean a beginning of a new way of life. Accepting the changes that come with it entails much personal strength and great support from loved ones. While the cancer […]
Read More
September 14, 2011
Mr. President,
I would like to register my utmost support for the passage of the proposed “Department of Information and Communications Technology Act”.
As we know ICT is everywhere; from governance to social networking, education to fun and games, and selling to shopping. We take pride in ourselves as the texting capital of the world.
The business processing and outsourcing (BPO) sector projects huge amounts of future revenues as well as employment opportunities for the Filipino people.
Information has increasingly […]
Read More
September 9, 2011
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to the first Indigenous Peoples’ Regional Assembly, which we convene today.
In convening this assembly, I am particularly grateful to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples for gathering our IP leaders all over Luzon.
We thank the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Education, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the International Labor Organization for supporting this important initiative.
As […]
Read More
August 9, 2011
Mr. President,
Today the international community honors the Indigenous Peoples of the world. Today the struggles of the IPs in the Philippines deserve to be spoken and heard in this august Chamber.
We have begun to make significant strides in protecting the rights of our IPs over the past twenty years. After centuries of disregard, Congress passed a landmark legislation called the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997, which restored the rights of indigenous people over their ancestral domains, upheld […]
Read More
