LEGARDA HIGHLIGHTS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR NEXT TERM

Granting universal healthcare, a college scholarship each for the 3 million families under the government's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, as well as measures to mitigate the impact of climate change will top Sen. Loren Legarda's legislative priorities if given a chance to serve in the incoming Congress.

Legarda reiterated this during Team PNoy's miting de avance today at the Amoranto Stadium as the campaign period came to a close.

"These are legacy and poverty-alleviating measures which will have greatest impact on the poorest families and significantly change the course of their lives," Legarda stressed.

She said "graduating" the poorest households from poverty would be one of the legacies she would like to leave as a senator.

Legarda said when Congress resumes session in June, she will work on finishing the Universal Healthcare bill which she principally authored to benefit the 25 million poorest Filipinos.

"Once we have the Universal Healthcare law, all families are covered by Philhealth benefits regardless of their status in life. We mean to include everyone, including the informal sector or the unemployed," Legarda said.

On her proposed scholarship for indigent families, Legarda said she will make sure that the more than three million families that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program will have at least one college graduate through a scholarship program.

The college diploma could be the ticket to bring them out of poverty, she said.

Legarda, who is a staunch environmentalist, said she has already authored several laws to protect the environment and lessen the impact of climate change but there are other environment-related issues that need to be addressed. "Marami pang dapat gawin para pangalagaan ang ating kalikasan. Papaigtingin ko pa ang aking mga programa sa larangang ito," Legarda said, adding that initiatives to make communities safe and resilient from disasters greatly impact the national economy.

She added that future generations of Filipinos should live in enabling environments where natural resources are used in ways sustainable and not destructive.

"I ask everyone to join hands and unite for the common goals that serve our people's welfare. To work for what matters: whether there is going to be food on the table, education for our children, and clean, safe communities," she concluded.