KIKO PANGILINAN: BASYANG UNDERSCORES THE NATION'S NEED
TO MODERNIZE INFRASTRUCTURE

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan says the aftermath of typhoon Basyang exposes the urgency of modernizing infrastructure in the country.

"Our country cannot afford to be paralyzed the way we have been when Basyang hit. We need to modernize our infrastructure so that our drainages will work, flooding systems enabled, power lines will not be exposed to the elements, and rescue operations will be more efficient."

Pangilinan adds that the Senate should give due attention to the modernization of weather forecast facilities in the 15th Congress.

"We are willing to sit down with people from PAGASA to discuss their needs in order for them to be able to predict more accurately areas the will be hit by typhoons."

"We will push for an infrastructure modernization act in the 15th Congress. This is an imperative. The private sector must be involved in helping fund these projects with a reasonable rate of return. We will push for an activist senate wherein key pieces of legislation such as infrastructure modernization will be the springboard from which we will be able to achieve developed nation status. We are lagging behind our ASEAN neighbors when it comes to infrastructure expenditures. We cannot reach developed nation status without massive infrastructure modernization. We must also ensure that infrastructure spending is not lost to graft and corruption."