Press Release
March 23, 2009

Press statement of Senator Loren Legarda

ON PEACE PROCESS

I welcome the initiative to invite former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to serve as advisers in the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic National Liberation Front.

The Muslim insurgency, now being waged by the MILF, has gone on far too long, draining our treasury and the blood of our young men and women on both sides, not to mention the civilian casualties and the billions of pesos in damage caused by the conflict.

What we need is a new perspective on the war between brothers. Blair, who is currently the European envoy tasked to help settle the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestine, and Annan, who as former UN head who settled many civil and international hostilities, can provide this perspective.

We must do everything in our power to end these destructive hostilities in the southern Philippines.

ON DUMPING AREA FOR OLD SHIPS

The proposal of Labor Secretary Marianito Roque to convert the Philippines into a dumping ground for old and discarded ships from foreign countries, especially Japan, should be studied carefully by our government.

True, the dismantling of these vessels may provide some employment but the downside is that they would pollute our ports and seas and cause more damage than benefits. Moreover, do we have the technology and modern equipment needed to dismantle them efficiently?

The mere sight of these rusty, decrepit and deteriorating vessels squatting off our shores would spoil the pristine view of our emerald seas, provide hazards for local navigation and fishermen, depress rather than uplift the spirit and discourage tourism.

To convert this Pearl of the Orient into a garbage dump for the wastes of advanced countries, such as hospital discards, abandoned cars, plastic refuse and even nuclear wastes is the ultimate desecration.

ON WB IRRIGATION LOAN

As the chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, I hail the approval by the World Bank of a new $10-million loan to complete the construction or rehabilitation of irrigation facilities under the Second Agrarian Reform Communities Development Project (ARCDP 2).

I urge the Arroyo administration to immediately put in place safeguards recommended by the World Bank and the Senate to eliminate bidding irregularities and other corrupt practices in the implementation of the project.

We do not want any repetition of the rigged bidding and corruption that attended the implementation of the road projects financed by the World Bank, nor of the P800 million fertilizer fund intended for the farmers.

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