Loren not complacent despite topping surveys

MANILA, Philippines - Constantly ranked number one in senatorial surveys, Sen. Loren Legarda could very well just relax and wait for her name to be announced as among the 12 winning candidates in this May’s mid-term elections.

But for Legarda, who is looking to return to the Senate for her third and last term, being on top of the surveys and in the results of the election does not mean being complacent.

In spite of her strong showing in the surveys, Legarda is constantly on the campaign trail and taking part in the rallies organized by the administration’s Team PNoy.

“I want to be remembered for my brand of service for the Filipino people: work with compassion. I want to be remembered as a legislator who consistently and tirelessly worked for her advocacies, not caring whether it is popular or not,” she said.

Legarda has established herself as an advocate of disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and the protection of the environment, issues which she continues to preach during her campaign before communities across the country.

“I am proud that the two laws which I principally authored and co-authored – the Climate Change Act and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act – were considered ‘the best laws in the world’ by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlstrom,” Legarda said.

The two laws were considered landmark pieces of legislation, and while Legarda is proud of her role in getting them passed in Congress, she said much more needs to be done.

Asked what else she wants to accomplish in her third term in the Senate, Legarda said her commitment as a public servant will continue until a majority of Filipinos have decent work, access to quality but affordable education is a reality and communities are resilient to natural disasters.

“I still envision more workshops, fora and exhibits to show the people how the laws I have pushed for will benefit them. And by way of the Senate’s oversight functions, to somehow ensure that the very laws that I authored are properly implemented,” she said.

With a new term in the Senate, Legarda said she would work on several measures, including the universal healthcare bill and a review of the scholarship programs of state universities and colleges alongside an expansion of the scholarship base.

One particular bill that she intends to push in the 16th Congress is the “Pantawid Tuition Bill,” which ensures there will be one college graduate for every household beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or the 4Ps.

The 4Ps, also known as the conditional cash transfer program, provides cash incentives to the poorest families for the regular attendance of their children in school, visits by the mothers to health centers and the vaccination and check up of their children.

While the 4Ps help the poor families in meeting their daily requirements, Legarda said providing them with access to good education would give them a better chance to get out of poverty.

“When a family has a college graduate who has a greater chance of getting a permanent and good-paying job as a professional, they will have a greater opportunity for a better life,” she said.

“I will also strengthen support for jobs and livelihood creation by establishing kabuhayan centers, with the help of two laws I principally authored – the Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Act, which provides support to small businesses, and the Barangay Kabuhayan Act, which establishes livelihood and skills training or kabuhayan centers in 4th, 5th and 6th class municipalities in the country.”

Legarda said she also wants to establish a folk art museum in every province in order to promote the unique traditions in the different parts of the country.

The conduct of disaster risk reduction workshops in barangays would also continue to ensure that all communities are disaster resilient and safe from the effects of climate change and extreme weather events.

“Healthcare, education, culture, improvement of working conditions of our Filipino workers, and safer and disaster-resilient communities – these are my priorities because these are the needs of our people,” she said.

Legarda made a name for herself as an award winning broadcast journalist before entering politics in 1998.

She completed her primary and secondary schooling at the Assumption Convent with honors and obtained her degree in broadcast communications at the University of the Philippines where she graduated cum laude.

While working as a broadcast journalist, Legarda pursued graduate studies at the National Defense College of the Philippines, where she obtained a degree in National Security Administration and graduated at the top of her class. She is a reserve officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

A member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), Legarda made a bid for the vice presidency twice, first in 2004 beside the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. and again in 2010 alongside Sen. Manuel Villar Jr.

In both instances, Legarda ran as a member of the opposition.

This year, Legarda has associated herself with the administration, which led to questions about her ability to remain independent in the Senate.

But Legarda clarified her decisions would always be based on what would be in the best interest of the country.

“As long as I believe that the proposed measures will truly benefit Filipinos, there is no reason why I should withhold my support in ensuring the passage of these measures. Being administration or opposition should not matter, given that it is the public we serve,” she said.