Legarda Highlights Priorities for Next Term in CDO Sortie

MANILA, February 26, 2013-In her visit to Cagayan de Oro, Senator Loren Legarda, senatorial candidate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), discussed her priorities should she win another term in the Senate.

“Healthcare is number one. I will finish the Universal Healthcare Bill. I will make sure it is enacted into law and that it will be implemented for the 25 million poorest Filipinos,” said Legarda, principal author of the bill.

“Our aim is to ensure that no mother has to lose a child from sickness because she could not afford to bring her son or daughter to the hospital; no husband has to lose his wife from giving birth because she was not able to access healthcare services; no child has to lose an ailing parent due to lack of resources for hospitalization. Once we have the Universal Healthcare Law, all families can avail of Philhealth benefits even after many presidents and congresses have passed. This will be an important legacy to the Filipinos,” she stressed.

Another priority of the Senator is the expansion of scholarship programs for indigent but deserving college students.

“I will review the scholarship programs of our state universities and colleges (SUCs) and I want to expand the scholarship base to give focus on agriculture, science and technology, environment, and possibly disaster science, because those are the courses that our people would need,” Legarda said.

“We will make sure that the more than three million families that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program will have at least one college graduate educated through a scholarship program,” she added.

The Senator also said she will continue to look after the welfare of senior citizens.

“We have worked hard for the passage of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act to ensure that our elderly Filipinos will be able to access the full twenty percent discount on medicines, food, services and other purchases. We have to look after the welfare of our senior citizens who have already shared their skills, talent and energy for meaningful work, programs and advocacies for the nation,” Legarda explained.

“Healthcare, education, and the general welfare of our citizens—these are my priorities. I am hopeful for a new term, which I will use for all the work that still needs to be done for our citizens and for our country,” Legarda concluded.