Press Statement of Senator Loren Legarda

On army taking MILF camps

I appeal for the safety of all innocent civilians who may be caught in the crossfire or who may be displaced by the ongoing conflict between the military and the MILF in Mindanao.

All combatants must take great pains in sparing civilians from harm, in keeping with international laws and humanitarian considerations. And when the guns have fallen silent, our government and our people must address the root cause of problems in Mindanao - poverty and societal inequity.

Another type of war must be waged, one that uses plows and other tools of economic growth to ensure the food security and prosperity of our people.

On BSP warning vs con-ass

The House of Representatives must heed the warning by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amado Tetangco that the insistence by the House to amend the Constitution on its own will have negative effects on our already reeling economy.

Even the dismal trust rating of the President is now being seen as a manifestation of the people's disapproval of the flawed constituent assembly (Con-ass) resolution which her allies in the House have been pushing.

While the purported reason being cited by con-ass proponents is to insert or amend some economic provisions in the organic law of the land, the public see it as a ploy by the administration to stay in power past 2010.

The House and the administration must read the handwritings on the wall: Filipinos have had enough of cha-cha, more so when undertaken through a constituent assembly bereft of Senate representation.

On pawnshops being scrutinized

The move by the Bangko Sentral to keep a tight watch on the operations of pawnshops, as well as foreign exchange dealers, money transfer firms and other non-bank financial institutions, is most welcome.

The BSP, as well as other government regulatory agencies, must strictly monitor the compliance of said institutions to our laws in order to safeguard the interest of the public.

My recent exposé on certain unscrupulous personalities using fraudulent schemes in swindling people of their cash and jewelry and then making their way through pawnshops must have moved the BSP into exercising its tight watch into their operations.