Sectoral groups back Loren for VP

May 4, 2010

WITH ONLY SIX DAYS LEFT UNTIL THE POLLS, DIVERSE SECTORAL GROUPS HAVE UNITED TO RALLY BEHIND THE CANDIDACY OF NP-NPC-LDP VICE PRESIDENTIAL BET LOREN LEGARDA.
Yesterday, the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers of the Philippines (FEJODAP) endorsed Legarda for her pro-poor legislations.
Farmers, fisherfolk and indigenous peoples (IPs) have reiterated their endorsement of Legarda.
Sectoral partylists Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Pamamalakaya hailed Legarda for her platform on the environment, which includes helping farmers and fishers adapt to climate change, and conserving ancestral lands.
Katribu, the partylist representing indigenous peoples, praised Loren for respecting the culture and beliefs of indigenous peoples and acknowledging their right to ancestral lands as part of their heritage.
Representing thousands of teachers in the country, the party list Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Philippines (ACT) led by national chair Tonchi Tinio has thrown its support behind Legarda. They also denounced reports circulated by political foes that Legarda has filed a bill to cut the benefits and salary of teachers.
In the women’s sector, Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP) has given its support for the only female VP candidate, Legarda, for her efforts in advancing women’s rights and welfare through laws like the Magna Carta of Women, the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act, Anti-Human Trafficking Act, Women and Children Crisis Survivors Assistance and Protection Act, the Women Empowerment Act and the Women Empowerment in Enterprise Act.
In the youth sector, Legarda gets massive support from various partylists and students organizations from all over the country.
The Kabataan Partylist has announced its dream slate where Legarda is the youth’s official VP bet.
Kabataan Partylist, led by Representative Raymond Palatino, is the umbrella organization of several national student organizations.
This includes the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP), League of Filipino Students, ANAKBAYAN, Kabataang Artista para sa Tunay na Kalayaan (KARATULA), and Youth ACT Now! (Youth for Truth and Accountability Now).
The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) is also solid behind Legarda for upholding campus press freedom.
Over the last few months, student leaders from all over the country have banded together to form the Kabataang Loren force led by Engr. Reagan Say to support the candidacy of Legarda.
Commissioner Benjie Sanchez Oliva of the National Youth Commission has also endorsed Legarda for VP.
The Tropang Loren Youth Movement, meanwhile, has gained ground after successfully recruiting students from Metro Manila and the country’s other regional centers. Tropang Loren is headed by 500 youth leaders from all over the country who share Legarda’s environment and youth advocacies.
The Philippine Climate Youth Movement (PCYM) continues to rally behind Legarda’s environmental protection campaign. Led by 23-year-old Cebuana and international climate change advocate Esperanza Garcia, PCYM has successfully mobilized young “climate heroes” from every region, city, school, and university in the country.
Legarda has also been hailed as a pro-peace candidate, earning the support of Muslims, women and youth in Mindanao.