Loren Accepts PNoy’s Invitation Based on Principled Cooperation

ANCHORED ON THE NEED TO PROMOTE PRINCIPLED COOPERATION AMONG LEADERS, SENATORIAL TOPNOTCHER SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA HAS ACCEPTED THE INVITATION OF THE PRESIDENT TO BE PART OF THE LP/NPC/NP COALITION IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS. THE LP AND NPC, LEGARDA’S PARTY SINCE 2007, SIGNED A PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT. LOREN HAS ALSO BEEN ADOPTED BY THE UNA AS GUEST CANDIDATE EARLIER.
“I am accepting the personal invitation of the President to be part of the LP coalition as the NPC nominee in the slate because of the need for principled cooperation among leaders. I share the values of pro-inclusive growth, pro-people, pro-poor, pro-environment, pro-good governance, pro-women and pro-resilient development principles in our governance. I want to see genuine development aspirations to be felt by the people, a development agenda that transcends political boundaries. The present administration, in the next three years, has the capacity to achieve the development gains that the people deserve. Every working day of the remaining years of the Aquino administration counts and I trust that this cooperation will allow us to advance our shared advocacies with a sense of urgency,” she added.
“My loyalty is to the people who entrust their future to me, which is the biggest responsibility I bear and I want to fulfill everyday,” Legarda stressed.
“At the end of the day, I will be judged based on my track record, not so much on the political affiliation especially in a multiparty system like ours. It’s not about me – politicians or politics. Let us not lose sight of the fact that this election is about the people and their deliverance from poverty, corruption and disasters.”
On the filing of her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for the 2013 elections, Legarda said that she will highlight her green advocacy in her senatorial bid.
“Ang nagmamahal sa kalikasan ay nagmamahal sa mga mahihirap (Those who show love for the environment also show love for the poor),” she stressed, adding that she will continue to champion her green advocacy on the road to the May 2013 elections and beyond.
“I will continue to spearhead tree-growing activities, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation workshops for local leaders and stakeholders, information and education campaign for the youth and green job fairs,” Legarda added.
Legarda has worked for the passage of laws and promotion of advocacies for the environment (Solid Waste Management law, Clean Air Act, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, Climate Change Act, and People’s Survival Fund law), protection of women and children (Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act, Magna Carta of Women, Anti-Child Labor Law, and Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act), resilience of culture and rural livelihoods (Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law, Barangay Kabuhayan Act, and Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act), empowerment of indigenous peoples through support to Schools of Living Traditions, growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (Magna Carta for MSMEs), and promotion of every Filipino’s right to health (Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act, Food and Drug Administration Act, and Expanded Senior Citizens Act), all for the pursuit of a resilient Filipino society.