Legarda in Pangasinan to join Uniteam rally

Three-term Senator and Senatorial candidate Loren Legarda today visited the Province of Pangasinan to meet with local officials and to join the UniTeam rally in the evening.

“I have been to Pangasinan many times, mostly to meet farmers and local leaders to talk about strengthening local disaster resilience and reforms in regional agriculture, education and health. In 2013, as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, we conducted a public hearing on disaster risk reduction and I also met local farmers and turned over geohazard maps to their communities. Hopefully, those tools had helped the province and the agriculture sector make sound policies for local disaster resilience,” Legarda said.

As a champion of climate resilience and environmental protection, Legarda also allocated funds for the conduct of climate field school intensive training for Municipal Agricultural Offices, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices, and Municipal Development and Planning Offices of LGUs in Pangasinan under the 2019 national budget.

Pangasinan also received funding for the implementation of DOLE TUPAD and Government Internship Program (GIP) in all six districts in the province from 2019 to 2021 through Legarda’s intervention. Scholarship and training programs were also provided to the province under the TESDA Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) and Special Training for Employment Program (STEP) to address the needs of the province to promote employment and entrepreneurship.

“The crisis of unemployment is one of the major problems that need to be addressed urgently. Thus, we have to strengthen our programs on employment facilitation, provide entrepreneurial opportunities, and skills enhancement for our workforce as a significant move to address the economic consequences, unemployment, livelihood disruptions, and labor market fragilities, especially amid this pandemic,” Legarda said.

Moreover, the three-term Senator also allocated funds for the construction and rehabilitation of the academic building of the Pangasinan State University to provide students a conducive environment for learning, aside from ensuring that Pangasinense youth will be able to get free college education under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education that Legarda authored and funded in 2017.

As assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Legarda also supported the participation of Bandulf Industries from San Carlos City that produces woodcrafts, Corn Crafter’s Association of Basista that creates corn husk handicrafts, Dorevi Industries in San Carlos City with their bamboo handicraft and furniture, Bella’s Calasiao Puto from Calasiao, and VWT Enterprises from Aguilar that produces bamboo bags and home décor in the yearly National Arts and Crafts Fair exhibition to provide them a venue to promote their products both in the local and global market.

“Our role as public servant is to look at the quality of life of our people. Kailangan nating siguraduhin na tayo ay nakapaghahatid ng mga programa para sa tao at nasisigurong ito ay nararamdaman at nagiging daan upang umunlad ang kanilang kinabukasan,” Legarda concluded.***