Press Release
July 16, 2009

Loren unveils comprehensive socio-economic peace program

Senator Loren Legarda laid down yesterday (July 16) a comprehensive socio-economic peace program which the next administration can implement in the next six years to address the country's many problems like poverty, corruption and the peace problem in Mindanao.

Following her declaration of readiness to seek the presidency in the 2010 elections, Loren unveiled her agenda and plans for the country in her speech during the 10th FVR (RPDEV) Lecture at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium of RCBC Plaza in Makati City.

Loren said that a sustainable economic, social and political advancement for the country would start from investing heavily in agriculture and industries in order to create jobs locally stop the country's reliance on overseas job markets, ensure food security and the global reach and competitiveness of Filipino products.

"Pursuing the thrust to modernize agriculture and the rural areas first and foremost would make agriculture an effective absorber of labor. Also, agriculture-based businesses must be connected to a network of micro, small, medium and even big corporate businesses so that they could create a synergy of cooperation that is mutually beneficial," said Loren.

Loren said that agriculture and industries must also be freed from the clutches of corruption, especially those relating to public funds for irrigation, farmers' support and the establishment of post-production facilities.

She stressed that the Philippines is rich in natural and human resources and that both must be better managed by the government hand-in-hand with the private sector.

"Credit and other programs that support domestic MSMEs should be revitalized... We must remove major constraints in the conduct of doing business in the Philippines. We must make it easier for business persons to acquire licenses."

"Contracts must be enforced; credits must be extended to enterprising individuals and entities; corruption and smuggling must be stopped," she said.

The senator pointed out that peace and order problems, including the long pestering one in Mindanao, also impede national development, stressing that "in fact, among the regions of the country with the highest incidence of poverty are in Mindanao."

"By now, everyone but the government admits that aggression arises from frustration. The problem in Mindanao is brought about by the inaction of the government. Muslim Filipinos are deprived of access to facilities and services crucial for human development and have, for the longest time, remained unheeded by the Manila-centric government."

The next administration, Loren said, must expand access to basic education and health care, increase the use of sustainable forms of energy, promote use of clean energies and make foreign relations a tool to serve long-term national development goals.

"For an issue close to my heart, the next administration must no longer tolerate the non-implementation of our environmental laws, such as the Ecological Solid Waste Management and the Clean Air Act," she said.

If she becomes President, Loren said she would look for the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) by forging bilateral agreements with the foreign hosts of OFWs, strengthening the role of embassies and consulates in protecting overseas Filipinos, and in having government agencies like TESDA train them to become entrepreneurs.

"In the domestic front, low wages, non-regularization, and incomplete, if not altogether lack of, benefits are identified causes of poverty. The government must encourage companies to help workers cope with the rising cost of living and to retain stable employment without burdening companies' capital and competitiveness.

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