MANILA, Philippines – Presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe has vowed to create one million jobs per year to address poverty and to push for women empowerment for Filipinos to experience genuine inclusive growth and equality.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Agusan del Norte on Tuesday night, Poe said the economic growth touted by the administration would amount to nothing if it would not trickle down to the people, particularly the poor.
She said it was her desire for genuine inclusive growth that has kept her steady despite her difficult campaign.
Poe said there is a need to boost infrastructure spending to create more jobs for the people. The processes involved in setting up business in the country should also be streamlined so that more investors would come in and provide more new jobs.
“We will strengthen agriculture, tourism and manufacturing. We need more manufacturing plants and we just need to make sure that the ease of doing business is strengthened,” she added.
Poe recently visited Surigao del Norte, Butuan and Agusan del Norte in Mindanao, the island with 11 of the 20 poorest provinces in the country.
Surigao del Norte is the 25th poorest province in the country with 33 percent of the population living below the poverty line. In Surigao del Sur, 32.8 percent of the population is poor while in Agusan del Norte, 3 of 10 people are also poor.
Department of women
Poe also vowed to push for women empowerment. She plans to create a department composed of female achievers whose job will be to monitor every agency and make sure that their respective targets are met on time.
She also plans to tap women leaders in the barangays. They will report to Malacañang about the updates on projects in their respective areas. She said this would ensure that her administration would be able to reach out to the people.
“The reason why we will tap women is because they are the ones who take care of their families and know the realities in their respective communities,” she explained in Filipino.
‘Violence not solution to crimes’
Poe also promised to improve peace and order and reduce criminality. But she said violence is not the solution to crime or to exact accountability from the suspects.
She equated justice to getting equal attention from government in education, reducing poverty, attaining peace and order and having a decent way of life.
“You need a president whom you can trust, someone who will not steal your money, a president who is sincere, brave and just. These are what I am offering to all of you, the people of Mindanao,” Poe said in Filipino.
Meanwhile, senior members of the House committee on justice yesterday slammed former senator Francisco Tatad for what they said was his continued persecution of Poe in pressing the Supreme Court (SC) to reverse its decision allowing her to run for president.
Reps. Silvestre Bello III of the 1-BAP party-list; Emil Ong of Northern Samar; Samuel Pagdilao of ACT-CIS party-list; Rodel Batocabe of Ako Bicol and Terry Ridon of Kabataan chided Tatad for filing a second motion for reconsideration (MR) before the SC ruling that has already junked with finality petitions to disqualify Poe for failing to meet residency and citizenship requirements.
“The motion for reconsideration filed by former senator Tatad is a prohibited pleading and will not be entertained by the SC,” said Bello, a supporter of presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. – With Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero