Press Release
June 4, 2009

Press Statement of Senator Loren Legarda

On RP's 'ineffective' anti-corruption drive

The 2009 Global Corruption Barometer Survey says that 77 percent of Filipinos see government's efforts to fight corruption as ineffective, the worst in Southeast Asia and the second most "ineffective" in Asia.

That's a condemnation of this administration considering that it has had all of nearly one decade to wage an honest-to-goodness campaign against graft and corruption, bureaucratic red tape and government inefficiency in providing basic services.

I expect government apologists to also brush aside this report, in the same manner that they had disregarded local and international perception of government's dismal track record in protecting human rights and in uplifting the lot of long-suffering Filipinos.

On P20M more pork for con-ass congressmen

That's a disturbing report - that lawmakers had been promised P20 million each by Malacanang just to ram House Resolution 1109, setting up a constituent assembly without Senate participation.

If true, the move is akin to dangling a carrot in front of a hare or a quid pro quo. Worse, it may be seen, rightly or wrongly, as a bribe offer. But what else is new?

It seems this administration will not spare any means just to extend its term past 2010. They are fooling no one. We all know that they want to amend the Constitution for purposes other than helping the economy take off.

On World Environment Day
(Loren addressing members of the diplomatic corps during Luntiang Pilipinas'
tree-planting at the Luneta Thursday)

I can sense a common motivation in us, which is to protect the environment for all of humanity. I can also sense an urgent willingness to act coupled with a unifying call that is succinctly expressed by this year's theme of the World Environment Day - Your Planet Needs You - Unite to Combat Climate Change.

Each of the country we represent has its own view on climate change, but the thing that is common in our varying views, though, is that climate change ranks high in our priorities. Surely, climate change threatens the very life of our planet and the existence of humanity as a whole.

But I am optimistic that the world can hurdle these challenges successfully by means of a two-pronged formula. The first involves national action by national leaders who must come up with effective policies that would be implemented by both state agencies and the people. The second takes place across borders. Leaders must transcend the local and reach out to their counterparts in different parts of the world to effect actions internationally.

It is, therefore, clear that the great question of the future will be whether or not different people from different nations are capable of uniting.

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