Legarda Files 291 Bills and Resolutions in 15th Congress

MANILA, March 3, 2013-In the 15^th Congress, Senator Loren Legarda has filed a total of 291 bills and resolutions, first and foremost of which is the Universal Healthcare Coverage Act.

Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Climate Change, Committee on Cultural Communities, and Committee on Foreign Relations, filed 149 bills and 87 resolutions as principal author, and 25 bills and 30 resolutions as co-author.

On the very first day of the 15^th Congress, the Senator filed seven bills—mandatory healthcare coverage, amended cheaper medicines, barangay greening and reforestation, additional benefits for kasambahays, establishing a migrant workers hospital, having barangay nutrition workers, and the magna carta for public school teachers.

“We aim to finish the Universal Healthcare bill before the 15^th Congress ends in June because this will ensure that the 25 million poorest Filipinos will have access to Philhealth benefits,” Legarda stressed.

Legarda also filed several bills on health, the environment, women and children, welfare of Filipino workers, good governance, and indigenous peoples, among other issues.

Among the most notable of the bills she authored which were signed into law include the People’s Survival Fund Act, which provides a special fund for the financing of activities of local governments for climate change adaptation programs; the Kasambahay Law, which provides additional social benefits, such as SSS and Philhealth, for kasambahays; and the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, which aims to improve the efforts against human trafficking by covering attempted trafficking and accessory or accomplice liability and providing protection to trafficked victims.

She has also ushered the passage of 16 treaties, including the International Labour Convention (ILO) 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers; and the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), for better protection and improved working conditions of seafarers.

“These are just among the measures that have been enacted into law, and in the next Congress, if reelected, I will not stop until we have accomplished the other measures, particularly on health and education, that would further protect and benefit Filipinos,” Legarda stressed.

Peaceful solution our highest priority--Tañada

MANILA, March 2, 2013-Team PNoy spokesman Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada said on Saturday/March 2 a "peaceful solution was the highest priority" of the Philippine government "following a bloody end to the Sabah standoff."

Tañada said the administration "sympathizes with the families of those killed" but stressed "this is not the proper way to push their claim."

Tañada added, “We had feared that this would be the outcome after they ignored President Aquino's call for them to return to Sulu. This is affecting the status of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos living in Sabah."

At least 12 armed followers of the Sultan of Sulu who were holed up in a village in Lahad Datu and two Malaysian security personnel were killed on Friday when fighting broke out in the area. 

The government expressed regrets that the Sabah standoff resulted in bloodshed, saying it should serve as a lesson that territorial disputes should be settled according to international law and not through the use of force.

Legarda: Find Culprit of Oil Spill as Cleanup Ongoing in La Union

Senator Loren Legarda today said that authorities should find out who is responsible for the oil spill that affected coastal areas in La Union, which prompted the declaration of state of calamity in the province.

“While cleanup operations are ongoing, authorities must determine who the culprits are in this oil spill because they cannot just get away after seriously affecting seawaters, marine life, and the local communities in La Union,” Legarda said.

Initial reports say that the oil sludge came from MV Harita Bauxite, a Myanmar vessel that sank off Bolinao town in Pangasinan.

Legarda said that the Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources should conduct an investigation to determine the origin and extent of the oil spill and carry out appropriate action against those responsible for the incident.

“The oil spill threatens the livelihood of fishermen in the area and could also affect tourism. There could also be possible health impacts to the local community. It is not enough that cleanup is ongoing because those responsible for this incident should own up, pay up and join the cleanup,” Legarda concluded.

First Gen, Singaporean firm in tug-of-war for giant Ecija dam project

CABANATUAN CITY – An energy company which owns and operates the Pantabangan-Masiway Hydroelectric Complex, is locked up in a tug-of-war with a Singaporean firm over the P13.6-billion Balintingon Reservoir Multi Purpose Project (BRMPP) that can potentially irrigate 63,000 hectares of agricultural lands in southern Nueva Ecija and portions of Central Luzon.

          National Irrigation Administration Administrator Antonio Nangel said that the First Gen Hydro Power Corp. (FGHPC) is also keen on constructing the BRMPP even as the NIA Board has approved the application of Kaltimex Energy (Singapore), Ltd. (KES) to undertake the dam project subject to certain conditions.

          “First Gen has indicated it also wants Balintingon,” Nangel said, even as a technical working group (TWG) has been created to evaluate the KES. The TWG is chaired by deputy administrator for engineering and operations Robert Suguitan and is composed of representatives from the engineering, operations and legal department of the agency.

          KES and FGHPC have figured prominently in the recent wave of power interruptions in Pantabangan town. KES was tapped last year by the municipal government to rehabilitate the local government-run Pantabangan Municipal Electric Services (Pames).

          FGHPC cut off power to Pames over its allaged failure to pay power bills from July to December 2012 worth P8.7 million.  

          Lawyer Genever Dionio, chief of the NIA’s legal department, said the approval of the KES’s application was on condition that it should submit documents showing its legal, technical and financial capability to undertake the BRMPP.

          He said the KES has already submitted  the required documents. “We have yet to go over the documents but we will do so soon,” he said.

          The feasibility study for the BRMPP was submitted to the NIA by Sunwest Water and Electric Company (Suweco) last October for its evaluation.

          However, Suweco president Jose Silvestre Natividad informed Nangel that his firm has assigned all its rights, title and interest to the feasibility as well as its investment and operation of the power plant to KES, its partner in the preparation of the feasibility study.

          A copy of the seven-page executive summary of Suweco’s  feasibility study for the BRMPP stated that the hydro-electric power project is proposed to be built at the catchment area of the Penaranda-Sumacbao-Chico river systems.

Its potential service area of 63,000 hectares will cover the towns of Cabiao, Gen. Tinio , Penaranda, San Isidro and Sta. Rosa and the cities of Cabanatuan and Gapan, all in Nueva Ecija; San Miguel, San Ildefonso and and San Rafael in Bulacan and Arayat in Pampanga.

          Among the BRMPP’s components are a 138-meter rockfill dam, a spillway designed to cope with flood, a 44-megawatt capacity powerhouse, a concrete weir located seven kilometers downstream of the main dam and new irrigation facilities.

          The study estimated the entire project, whose economic life is 50 years, to cost P13.6 million of which P10 million is the direct cost. It has an economic internal rate of return of 21.05%.

          In 1993, the project was estimated to cost only P5 billion then P8.3 billion in 1999.

          The project is expected to produce 119.59 gigawatt-hours of of power and P1.6 billion worth of electric benefits annually. Aside from irrigation and hydro-electric power generation, the project is also expected to generate fish production worth P280 million annually.

          The study also said that the BRMPP would ensure year-round irrigation to 41,500 hectares of land, resulting in annual incremental production of 65,761 tons of paddy rice and 18,035 tons of vegetables.

          The project was initially formulated in the Irrigation Development Plan for Central Luzon in 1976 which was based on a reconnaissance study conducted by NIA and Electroconsult of Italy. It was conceived to take over the role of the Aurora-Penaranda Irrigation Project which supplied southern Nueva Ecija with irrigation.

          Aside from the KES and the FGHPC, the long-delayed dam project is being eyed by several companies, including the California International Ltd. (CalEnergy), the same American firm which built the giant Casecnan Multipurpose Irrigation and Power Project (CMIPP). – Manny Galvez 

GOV’T ANTI-POVERTY PROGRAM PAYING OFF – TEAM PNOY

Team PNoy spokesman Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada on Saturday/March 2 welcomed a World Bank study indicating that the country’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) program known as thePantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is on track to achieving its objectives.

“It is heartening to learn that government efforts are paying off… that what Team PNoy has been supporting all along is finally bearing fruit,” Tañada said, referring to the 4Ps that has benefitted more than three million poor families with over six million children.

The CCT provides cash grants to poor households to encourage them to keep their children up to age to 14 in school and have regular health check-ups.

“There’s more work to be done. This anti-poverty effort needs to be continued and supported. We, in the administration coalition are committed to support President Aquino in this endeavor,” Tañada said.

The World Bank study entitled, Philippines: Conditional Cash Transfer Program, Impact Evaluation 2012, confirmed that children of Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries are enrolling and attending schools, with improved health because of regular visits to health centers and pregnant mothers getting proper care.

Nazmul Chaudhury, World Bank country sector coordinator for human development and one of the authors of the report, said that poor households under the program spend 38 percent more in education per capita and 34 per cent more on medical expenses per capita than their non-Pantawid counterparts.

“This trend indicates a shift in the spending pattern among CCT beneficiaries toward greater investments in health and education of their children,” Chaudhury said in the report.

The WB report said that in Pantawid barangays, 76 percent of pre-schoolers are enrolled in day-care, compared to 65 percent in non-Pantawid barangays.

Among school children at age 6 to 11, 98 percent of children in Pantawid barangays are enrolled in school as against 93 per cent in non-Pantawid barangays.

The WB study is based on the analysis of 1,418 poor households eligible for the program from a survey covering 3,742 households in the provinces of Lanao del Norte, Mountain Province, Negros Occidental and Occidental Mindoro. 

Legarda: Prioritize Safety of Filipinos, Seek Peaceful Resolution to Sabah Crisis

Following reports of a clash between supporters of the Sultan of Sulu and Malaysian police, Senator Loren Legarda today said that there is an urgent need to ensure the safety of Filipinos in Sabah, stressing that the government should seek for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, also called on the Malaysian government to allow Philippine officials to help Filipinos affected in the situation.

“We call on the government of Malaysia to ensure the safe passage back to the Philippines of Filipinos who want to return following the stand-off in Sabah. The Philippine Embassy should be given access to Filipinos involved in the stand-off and those requiring medical attention should be provided one without fear of retribution or arrest,” she said.

Legarda made the statement in reaction to the reported clash between a group of Malaysian police and the supporters of the Sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III, following a three-week stand-off in Lahad Datu town in Sabah.

The Senator said that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) should ensure that collateral damage among Filipinos in Sabah is minimized.

“The incident is symptomatic of an issue that has remained unresolved.  It is important that the Philippines and Malaysia discuss the issues and work towards a durable and lasting solution to the problem. The Department of Foreign Affairs needs to bring this issue from the back burner into the negotiating table,” Legarda concluded.

Legarda Conducts Dialogue with OFWs

Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, conducted a dialogue with members of the Global Filipino Diaspora Council (GFDC), an overseas Filipinos group, and explained some of the legislation that will benefit them and address their concerns.

Among the concerns raised by GFDC members present during the dialogue conducted at the Senate are the trafficking of Filipinos, protection of domestic workers, and vulnerability to climate change of indigenous peoples.

“Two weeks ago President Aquino already signed into law the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, which is a stronger version as it covers attempted trafficking and accomplice liability. We are hopeful that this will effectively address the problem of human trafficking,” said Legarda, principal author and sponsor of the law.

“We also have an existing law which covers the protection of indigenous peoples especially in this era of climate change—the 2009 Climate Change Act, which created the Climate Change Commission. This commission is supposed to map out an action plan on climate change, which is important for our IPs who are among those vulnerable to extreme weather events because they usually live either in our forested areas, coastal areas, slopes or foothills,” she added.

The Senator also explained that the Senate has concurred in the ratification of at least 16 treaties that will be beneficial to Filipinos overseas, such as the ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers; the Maritime Labour Convention for the protection of the rights of seafarers; the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLAT) with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and with China, which establish a legal framework that obligates the Contracting Parties to assist in the investigation, prosecution and suppression of criminal offenses and proceedings related to criminal matters; and the Convention on Social Security between the Philippines and the Kingdom of Spain, which ensures that Filipinos in Spain are secured upon retirement.

“The Philippine Senate’s concurrence in the ratification of ILO Convention 189 is historic as it paved the way for the treaty’s entry into force. My next campaign will be with the parliaments of the world and their foreign ministries so that all other nations, especially where there is a concentration of Filipino domestic workers, will also concur in the ratification of this Convention,” Legarda said.

“We have the laws in place and we are monitoring the implementation of these laws, but we cannot do it alone. We cannot solve this problem of climate change, indigenous peoples’ vulnerability, trafficked victims, etc. We need you, the very vigilant overseas Filipinos, who have the resources, the time, and the passion to help address the concerns of our citizens and confront the challenges that our nation is faced with,” Legarda concluded.

Magdalo to promote welfare of retired AFP soldiers, personnel

MANILA, March 2, 2013-Magdalo Para sa Pilipino (Magdalo) vowed to craft measures the will provide more protection to the welfare and benefits being received by retired soldiers and personnel of the armed forces and their families, once they win a congressional seat in the May midterm elections.

“Magdalo’s long-standing relationship with retired soldiers and their families has given it the comprehensive view of the often neglected and underrepresented sector of retired soldiers. We feel their pain and suffering, and it’s about time that we help them hear their voices,” said Gary Alejano, the party-list group’s first nominee.

He added: “We will waste no time once elected to office. We have identified priority measures, most of which seeks to ensure aid and guarantee benefits to retired soldiers and their families even after their term of service. We must let them feel that their government and its people appreciate all the blood and sweat they sacrificed for their country.”

Among the measures Magdalo plans to focus on if it clinches a seat in the House of Representatives are the upgrading of veteran’s pensions and benefits, the institutionalization of scholarship grants to dependents of soldiers, and the creation of the national military appreciation week.

Alejano heads the civilian volunteer organization Samahang Magdalo, which works hand-in-hand with the party-list group. Even before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has approved its application as a party-list organization, it has been engaged in various socio-civic activities through the efforts and initiatives of its members, comprised mostly of retired soldiers and personnel of the military.

Part of the group’s advocacy to reform the government is fight corruption and maintain peace and order in the country. 

“A representative for retired soldiers and their families is a necessary step toward a meaningful move to provide them with the necessary attention and resources from the government they rightfully deserve,” Alejano said.

Other Magdalo nominees are its national spokesman and secretary general Francisco Ashley Acedillo and former Navy Lieutenant Manuel Cabochan.

Magdalo is one of the 79 party-list groups which the Comelec has accredited to run in the national and local elections in May.

Two-time widower, 72, takes widow, 71 as bride in Aurora mass wedding

DIPACULAO, Aurora – A septuagenarian businessman, who was a widower twice over, took a septuagenarian businesswoman – herself a widow - as his wife, highlighting the mass wedding of 28 couples in this town Thursday afternoon.

          Marcelo Sebulboro Niegos, 72, and Estrella Palit-ang Gomez, 71, got lawfully wedded after 11 years in ceremonies officiated by Mayor Reynante Tolentino here.

          Niegos and Gomez, both of Barangay North Poblacion here, vowed that while the deaths of their previous partners led to their marital union, it is also only death that could make them part.

          “We want our union to be pure so we got married,” said Niegos, after sealing his union with Gomez with a kiss.

          Niegos, who was born on February 19,1941 – coincidentally the day the province celebrates Aurora Day-  has two children from as many previous marriages. His first wife Amparo Pimentel died in Lipa City in 1992. His second wife Juanita also died in 1999.

          Gomez has six kids from a previous marriage to her late husband  Felixberto Calderon who died in 1999.

          Niegos and Gomez met in North Poblacion where they happened to be neighbors.

          Gomez said it was love at first sight. But she clarified it was Niegos who feel for her on sight, not the other way around.

          Niegos said what is important is that they will now live together for better or for worse, in sickness or in health and yes, “till death do us part.”

          Asked jokingly if she had no misgivings that she would suffer the same fate as Niegos’ previous partners, Gomez said she has no such fear and that her love for Niegos overcomes all fears.

          Tolentino, in his speech during the mass wedding, emphasized respect among the couples as the foundation of their love for each other. “It’s important that you respect each other because if you have respect, it means you love each other,” he said before the 28 couples.

          Tolentino said since he became mayor in 2007, he already officiated in the mass wedding of at least 5,000 couples in the town. He said these couples were married without paying any single centavo to the municipal government, saving them expenses of at least P1,500 per couple.

Last year, Tolentino also officiated the wedding of 29 couples, including Ireneo Balangue Jr., 58, and Emelinda Bellong, 49, both of Barangay Dimabuno, who finally got married after living together like husband and wife for 27 long years and having two children sans marriage.

Candido Velasco, municipal civil registrar, said that aside from Niegos and Gomez, the others who got married were Juan Paolo Dolores and Mary Joy Rojo, Loderico Gamilla and Jocelyn Gonzales, Joel Bernardo and Virginia Evangelista, Leonard Agua and Jennalyn Tumala, Marcelino Mico and Teresita Terre, Judy Carbonel and Girlie Barte, Melchor Villamar and Mary Ann Hetosis, Dominador Garcia and Crisanta Ruiz, Eliseo Pascua and Desiree Arcega, Frederick de Guzman and Ronalyn Ramos, Allan Viernes and Geraldine Jose, Oscar Asuncion Jr. and Miriam Penaranda, Nestor Montero and Jessica Ogian;

Elmar dela Cruz and Maureen dela Cruz, Jovan Pacis and Melody Amin, Arnelio Marquez and Jenny Posidio, Eduardo Blanco and Jocelyn Posidio, Martian Cuaresma and Genelyn Alavar, Darwin Buenconsejo and Ma. Fatima Baroro, Edgardo Agustin and Emilyn Peralta, Melvin Orpiano and Charibel Pelantagaan, Aristotle Sarenas and Mary Jane Ocmer, Jesus Marzan Jr. and Yolanda Moreno, Virgilio Sevilla and Julieta Lagmay, Kristopher Fernandez and Rodelyn Calaunan, Jayson Drapeza and Dolores Canonigo and Orville Von Forbes and Ana Rose Acosta. – Manny Galvez

Jinggoy calls for probe into misuse of pork barrel funds allotted for farmers

MANILA, February 28, 2013-Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada is calling for a Senate inquiry to investigate reports that he and other lawmakers including Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile channeled their pork barrel to a bogus non government organization.

 

“I am calling for this thorough investigation to determine how our Priority Development Assistance Fund was able to benefit a non existing organization. We need to unmask those who benefited from this scheme,” Sen. Estrada said.

 

Meanwhile, Commission on Audit (COA) Chairperson Ma. Gracia M. Pulido Tan clarified that they are not investigating the lawmakers named in newspaper reports but the non-government organization involved in this mess.

 

Nevertheless, Estrada instructed his staff to work closely with the COA to clear his name.

 

“We’ll work with COA and we’ll open our books to get to the bottom of this,” Sen. Estrada said. “I won’t allow my office to be used as a conduit for debauchery, decadence, dishonesty and depravity.”

 

He also urged agriculture department to shed light on the operations of ZNAC Rubber Estate Corp. (ZREC)—a state-owned company that received a total of P206 million in pork barrel in several batches in 2009 and 2010.

 

“From news reports, ZREC – through the Department of Budget and Management as well as the Department of Agriculture – received about P106.7 million from my PDAF during the term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,” Sen. Estrada said.

 

ZREC then channeled the sum to the Pangkabuhayan Foundation Inc. (PFI), an NGO which was strongly endorsed by the agriculture department.

 

“At that time, lawmakers were informed by the agriculture department that this NGO is a legitimate organization and that our pork barrel will be used to benefit thousands of farmers,” Estrada said.

 

“Now that COA revealed in its report that this NGO is nonexistent, we need to ask the former agriculture secretary as well as the ZREC board on why they channeled the taxpayers’ money to this bogus organization,” Estrada said.

 

“If these personalities do not appear in our investigation, I would ask for their arrest.”

 

COA noted several irregularities on the ZREC deal.

 

In the COA executive summary, it reported that “Petronila A. Balmaceda, PFI’s President, had not coordinated with them (ZREC) to be able to settle the issues raised in audit. Likewise, the confirmation letter sent by the audit team through a registered mail on February 9, 2012 was returned to us for reason that PFI had already moved out on the address indicated.”

 

“Considering that PFI failed to comply with the audit recommendations and had not coordinated for almost two years now, it is high time that the Management pursue the filing of appropriate legal action against PFI.”

Legarda: Well-being of Filipinos in Sabah Must Be Protected

Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, today stressed that as the government seeks to resolve the current situation in Sabah, it must ensure the protection of Filipinos there.

"We have Filipinos in Sabah in massive numbers. Their well-being should be one of our considerations in resolving this issue. We cannot be reckless to the point of endangering their well-being. At the end of the day, nobody wins," she said.

In resolving the issue, Legarda explained that "our foreign policy on disputed areas is clear -- what is ours is ours. For us to actively pursue this position, it is vital that we clearly define the scope and breadth of what is ours and the basis for such claims. Ownership is not defined by administrations but by legal and historical entitlements."

"The Philippines and Malaysia have strong ties. We need to leverage on these so that we may find a lasting solution to the ongoing situation in Sabah," Legarda concluded.

KIKO: KIRAM FORCES THE HAND OF THE GOVERNMENT

MANILA, February 26, 2013-Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan joins President Benigno Aquino in appealing to Jamalul Kiram III to put an end to the standoff in Sabah.

"This standoff has reached a critical point where the Philippine government must now act decisively and do what is necessary to protect the general interest of the Filipino people," says Pangilinan, a peace advocate. "Kiram is essentially declaring war on Malaysia. He must understand that it has never been a policy of the Philippines to take on other countries by force. Regardless of Sulu's rightful claim to Sabah, an armed invasion will unlikely lead to an amicable resolution."

Pangilinan says that the Philippines' ties with Malaysia take precedence over contested claims. 

"This has come at a time when we are so close to achieving lasting peace with our brothers from the South. Malaysia has played a crucial role in brokering talks between the Philippine government and our Muslim brothers in Mindanao. We cannot afford to have a wedge between our country and Malaysia because of one person's whim."

KIKO: LATEST SWS SURVEY UNDERSCORES PINOYS' CLAMOR FOR CHANGE

MANILA, February 26, 2013-Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan today states that the latest results of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey of the leading candidates for the 2013 midterm elections is highly indicative of the people's support for President Benigno Aquino III's continued push for good governance and economic stability. 

"Needless to say, we are very pleased with the results of the SWS survey," says Pangilinan, who was the campaign manager of the Liberal Party's senatorial slate in 2010. "It shows that the Aquino administration has been very credible in pushing for reforms, thanks to the very tangible changes happening today."

"We are particularly pleased with Bam Aquino's big jump in this survey," Pangilinan adds.

Pangilinan has been vocal for his "all-out support" for Bam Aquino, who with him co-founded the highly prestigious annual search for Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards, the premier recognition program for Filipino youth organizations. The young Aquino was also a Commissioner, then Chairman of the National Youth Commission when Pangilinan was then one of the youngest newly elected senators in 2001.

"Bam personifies the next generation of leaders. He is full of passion and is totally committed to bringing prosperity from the grassroots. He is a true agent of change. We need to have somebody like him to be in a position where he may be able to contribute greatly to the 'Daang Matuwid' of the Aquino administration."

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.

Cory magic seen in Team PNoy’s survey lead

MANILA, February 26, 2013-A day after the nation commemorated the 27^th year of the EDSA People Power revolution, the so-called Cory Magic must be working all over again.

Thus declared Team PNoy campaign manager Sen. Franklin Drilon Tuesday/Feb. 26 in reaction to the latest Social Weather Stations-Business World survey showing an overwhelming 9 to 3 advantage for the administration coalition in the race for 12 Senate seats.

“It’s 1986 all over again. The SWS-Business World survey is an affirmation of the people’s support for the Liberal Party-led coalition and its platform of government anchored on clean government, inclusive growth, and peace and security all over the country,” Drilon said.

Cory Magic was the term attributed to former President Corazon Aquino, who was catapulted into power after the 1986 EDSA revolt and whose endorsement of the administration slate led to a near sweep of the 1987 senatorial elections.

Her son, Benigno Simeon Aquino III was believed to have been lifted to the presidency in 2010 by the same Cory Magic. The incumbent President is now endorsing the candidacies of the administration coalition candidates.

The Feb. 15-17 nationwide poll taken after campaigning officially began showed Team PNoy candidates occupying the first six places.

Reelectionist Sen. Loren Legarda is on top with 64 percent followed by Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero 62 percent, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano 58 percent, Cynthia Villar 53 percent, and Grace Poe and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel tied for fifth and sixth with 48 percent each.

The opposition’s Nancy Binay was on seventh with 47 percent followed by Team PNoy’s Sen. Antonio Trillanes at eighth with 46 percent.

It’s a toss up between the administration’s Benigno Bam Aquino and United Nationalist Alliance’s JV Ejercito for ninth and 10^th positions, both with 42 percent. Team PNoy’s Sonny Angara and UNA’s Juan Miguel Zubiri occupy the 11^th and 12^th places with 39 percent.  

Drilon pointed out that the respondents’ preference of the Team PNoy candidates manifests the political maturity of the Filipino people “that they are able to see the deep margin of difference between the Team PNoy coalition and the other political candidates.”

“This latest vote of confidence on the candidates personally handpicked by President Aquino himself also focuses attention on the great political tasks awaiting them once they are formally elected into office. The Team PNoy candidates will continue to vigorously uphold the clean government advocacy of the President, his desire to use his last remaining three years in office to decisively reduce poverty, to considerably improve social services such as equitable access to education and health, among others,” Drilon said.

Team PNoy spokesman Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo meanwhile expressed elation over the survey results, saying it’s a clear trend towards a Team PNoy victory in theMay 13 elections.

“What’s significant is that the Team PNoy candidates who are not in the Magic 12 are closely within striking distance.” Quimbo pointed out.

“The results are not at all surprising. It shows that PNoy's program of Tuwid na Daan continues to be relevant in the minds of the electorate and that the latter associates the program with the individuals selected by the President to be part of his team. It also validates that a campaign based on a clear message supported by track-record is preferred by the people,” he said. 

The poll results, he added, also shows the people's clear rejection of the opposition's campaign strategy to use personality attacks and smear campaign tactics against the administration.

“This should be a wake-up call for them to start talking about their alternative programs instead of just rehashing rumor mill fodder,” Quimbo said. 

Trillanes: Focus more on the character of the candidates

Reelectionist Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV is urging voters to be aware and discerning of the character and mettle of the candidates for the 2013 midterm polls to ensure that only deserving elective officials who can forward the country to national development are in the government.

“The power to choose our own leaders is given only once every three years – this is the essence of democracy. Kung kaya’t ito pong darating na halalan marami pong mambobola, maraming magaling magsalita, marami may black propaganda. Kaya kailangan magsusuri tayo ng maayos,” said Trillanes, who is running under the administration ticket Team PNoy.

“Para masuri nating husto ang kanilang pagkatao, itanong natin: unang-una, sila ba ay may malasakit sa kapwa at bayan? Pangalawa, sila ba ay mapagkakatiwalaan na hindi mang-aabuso at mangungurakot? Pangatlo, sila ba ay kumakatawan sa inyong mga hinahangad para sa ating bayan? At higit sa lahat, sa panahon ng pang-aapi at pang-aabuso, maaasahan ba sila na tumayo at makipaglaban para sa inyong  karapatan? The advent of information technology and social media have given us voters the capacity to verify any claim made by any candidate. Thus, we must use this potential to our advantage and empowerment. We wield the information and we must translate this into our votes,” he said.

“Kung iyan po ang inyong mga batayan, makakasigurado po ako na wala na po kayong kandidatong pipiliin pa kung hindi ang mga kandidatong mula sa Team PNoy!” Trillanes added emphatically.

Trillanes has been one of the most productive senators with a total of 734 bills and resolutions filed during the 14th and 15th Congress, of which 30 have been passed into law. He also ranked second both in terms of the number of national bills sponsored in the plenary and number of committee hearings conducted.

Trillanes is currently the chair of the Senate Committee on Civil Service and Government Reorganization, the Senate Committee on Amateur Sports Competitiveness, and the Senate Select Oversight Committee on Government Procurement.

Trillanes added: “I urge voters to be vigilant and make sure that they only elect leaders who have the ascendancy to promote good governance. Tapat dapat sa mga mahihirap at sa paglaban sa kurap.”