Press Release
October 23, 2009

Loren 'plants seeds of hope' at Luneta

LUNETA PARK (Oct. 23) - Senator Loren Legarda came back here tonight since planting a thousand tree seedlings as a newly elected senator in 1998, vowing this time to "plant the seeds of hope for all Filipinos" in whatever capacity or office they may ask her to serve them.

But after presiding over an outreach program that included a well-attended jobs fair and a medical mission, Loren said that she would rather not talk about political aspirations at this time despite the fact that all five presidential aspirants in the 2010 elections had asked her to be their vice presidential running mate at one point.

She emphasized that the recent calamities that had struck the country had made it inappropriate for anyone to be looking beyond helping the many suffering Filipinos "right here, right now."

"My countrymen, it is here at Luneta that I planted a thousand trees in 1998 as part of my environmental advocacy. Since then, over two million trees had already been planted. Tonight, I ask you to join me in planting the seeds of hope for all of us," Loren told thousands of her supporters and the beneficiaries of her outreach program dubbed Lingkod Loren.

"Here at the Luneta, the new Filipino will rise for a new and much better Philippines," she said. Loren pointed out that with typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng bringing down Filipinos on their collective knees, there is no better time than now to show their resiliency in getting back on their feet.

"We grew up with the adage that it is during trying times that new hope swells among people with convictions and who truly believe that they would emerge stronger by facing the challenges before them," she said in Filipino. She added that no Filipinos should wallow in poverty, without food and shelter, reduced to the inhuman conditions.

"We see too many of our people living in esteros and railways, looking for food on heaps of garbage, of babies sleeping on cardboards and of children living on wooden push carts. We see children who hold guns fighting in the countryside instead of being in school wielding papers and pens," said Loren. We see too many of our youth who are prostituted and who no longer know what a good future means," said Loren.

"My countrymen, I have seen the depths of where we have found ourselves as a people, and like all of you, I have gotten tired of seeing ourselves mired in this predicament. But to do nothing is the biggest sin that we could possibly commit, something that is not an option for this public servant," Loren said.

The senator stressed the need not only to revive the Filipino spirit and belief in himself, but also his self-respect and sense of patriotism. "Let's bring back the honor of our being Filipinos," she said.

While letting her audience read between the lines of her speech on whether she would run for vice president next year, Loren nonetheless laid bare a veritable platform of governance anchored on a strong anti-corruption stance, honest-to-goodness public service, and a strong commitment to help mitigate the effects of climate change.

She first identified the long-pestering problems of the Philippines as poor urban governance marked by improper or non-enforcement of laws, vulnerability of livelihood source in rural areas, and ecosystems decline.

Loren then unveiled a multi-pronged approach in helping the Philippines prosper economically, achieve lasting peace including in war-torn Mindanao, and to improve the quality of life Filipinos.

In all, she identified seven "must-do" for the new administration that would come out of the 2007 elections.

For starter, she said the country's resources, including government funds, must be geared towards affording all Filipinos housing, sanitation, potable water, access to medicines and proper health care, education for the youth and skills training for all who can contribute as part of the labor force.

Secondly, government must recognize the contributions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) by facilitating their gainful employment, providing them ample protection against abuses and by continuously upgrading their skills and knowledge.

Thirdly, the new administration must really crack down on corruption which lays to waste limited resources, destroys institutions of government and undermines the trust of the people and even of the international community, including foreign investors.

Loren cited as a fourth area of concern the protection of the environment and the initiating of pro-active measures to address the problem of climate change and the disasters related to it.

"The rape of Mother Nature must stop. Otherwise, we would forever be facing her wrath. The threat of climate change is ever real and we have Ondoy and Pepeng to prove this, with the landslides, flashfloods, the siltation and overflowing of water systems," she said.

Fifth, Loren said the country must forge genuine peace, especially in Mindanao, not only through law enforcement but through the resolution of the root causes of the conflicts in the countryside, poverty and social injustice to name a few.

She said government must always be ready to dialogue with groups engaged in the armed struggle like the NPA and the MILF because "they are not the enemies, but the poverty and helplessness being felt in the poorest of the poor Philippine communities."

Lastly, she said that the Filipino culture and traits must be recognized, rejuvenated and passed on to future generations because they are what makes Filipinos as a people unique.

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