Speech Before the National Convention of Public Attorneys
Villar: Creative Solutions to Poverty Alleviation Needed

Nacionalista Party President Senator Manny Villar expressed great admiration and appreciation on the value of heroic work that public attorneys perform for the country particularly in strengthening the people's faith in the justice system.

"Providing competent, free legal assistance to our poor people you are helping in efforts to reform our justice system by making it accessible to our poor people," Villar said in his speech before public attorneys.

The former Senate president acknowledged the obstacles that public attorneys have to hurdle to perform their duties: meager budgetary allocation, fast turnover of lawyers, heavy workload, and lack of attractive retirement benefits.

Villar said public defenders are among his inspirations for the common ideologies that they share--sipag at tiyaga (hard work and persistence). According to him, "I talk about my life because I want to show our people that one's life can change if he practices these values"

He talked about a managerial expertise as a better basis for choosing the next leader of the country. A good leader must not simply tell people what is wrong, but must understand the needs of the people. "There is a difference between empathy and pity--most people cannot even determine one from the other. Creative but efficient measures must be executed to alleviate poverty in the Philippines", said Villar.

Born and raised in Tondo, Villar said he saw and experienced first hand what extreme poverty is all about. "Poverty affects people differently. Many take it as a challenge to do better in life. Others, mired in extreme poverty, are pushed to commit crimes in order to survive or fall prey to bad elements who manipulate them because they are poor," said Villar.

Villar added, "Unfortunately, many of our poor people languish in jail simply because they are poor, unable to afford the service of lawyers. This is an injustice that any society cannot possibly allow to persist."

He cited statistic about rampant poverty in the country. According to the National Statistical and Coordination Board, poverty increased to 33% of the population in 2006 or equivalent to over 29 million Filipinos who live below the poverty line. A survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) in July 2009, also found that 50% of Filipino families (or more than 9 million Filipinos) have experienced hunger.