LIPA CITY: Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas gestures to stress a point during a forum and consultation Thursday on the economic crisis and its impact on local jobs, at the Lipa City Youth and Cultural Center. Amidst a crowd of more than 1,000 students and locals, Roxas stressed how the government, at this critical period, should put the people's welfare on top of their list of priorities.

"Nakikita natin na sa gobyerno, una ang interes nila kaysa sa tao. Dapat una ang tao. Mahalaga ang tao" he stressed. Roxas reiterated his call on the government to focus its spending on activities that will create jobs and improve the quality of lives in the countryside. He said significant investments in agriculture, particularly the rehabilitation of irrigation facilities, would immediately create jobs and help close the rice production gap. Surplus nurses, he also said, should also be deployed by the government to each barangay to improve healthcare services in the margins.