Labor education groups endorse Legarda

Reelectionist Sen. Loren Legarda (Nationalist People’s Coalition) was endorsed by major labor and educational groups in recognition of her significant contribution to their sectors.

On Wednesday, the Philippine Trade and General Workers Organization (PTGWO) affiliated with the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the biggest labor confederation, endorsed Legarda for her initiatives “to improve jobs, raise decent wages for workers, and advance consumer protection.”

PTGWO’s members come from many industries, including textiles, garments and leather, banking and insurance, construction, mining, sports and gaming, agriculture, farm and meats, metal, food and beverage, transport and trucking, and pharmaceutical and chemical.

The group pledged a “solid vote” of 100,000 votes for Legarda as well as to the select senatorial candidates it also endorsed.

Legarda was credited with passing laws aimed at protecting and promoting the rights of workers, including domestic workers or “kasambahay” and overseas Filipino workers, generating jobs and creating micro and small businesses. Among these laws are the Kasambahay Law, Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Barangay Kabuhayan Act.

On Thursday, the Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAPSCU) endorsed Legarda for her efforts at education reforms.

PAPSCU President Dr. Jose Paulo Campos said Legarda as well as the other candidates it endorsed “can help raise Philippine education to world-class level.”

“Let us elect public servants who are staunch advocates of relevant and effective education reforms,” said Campos, who is also the chairman of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associates (Cocopea).

Cocopea is a collection of organizations of private education institutions including the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, the Association of Christians Schools, Colleges, and Universities, the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities, and Technical Vocational School Associations of the Philippines.

He added, “We will elect lawmakers who will champion education innovations in the Senate and the House and will work for the welfare of students and teachers in the next Congress.”

PAPSCU’s endorsement of Legarda was not a surprise as the senator has been championing education issues and promoting the youth’s right to education, the latest of which is her “Pantawid Tuition Program” that will fund one college scholar for every poor family.

The senator wants that every family, especially the 3.8 million households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the administration, have at least one college graduate.