Loren Legarda lauds mayors for pandemic response, climate action

By: Dennis Gutierrez - 3 years ago

Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda speaks before the League of Municipalities of the Philippines’ (LMP) National Convention in Pasay City.

MANILA, Philippines — Deputy Speaker and UniTeam senatorial bet Loren Legarda on Wednesday lauded local government officials for their crucial role in the nation’s pandemic response and recovery.

Speaking before the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) general assembly, Legarda cited how local chief executives continue to be at the frontline in the fight against COVID-19.

“I am one with you in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, against climate change and the fight for sustainable development and good governance. These are the challenges that we should pay attention to: rising from the pandemic and surviving the climate crisis, because there will be no proper pandemic recovery if it will not be done and aligned with climate change adaptation. And these could not be done without proper implementation by the government both in national and local levels,” she stressed.

“There will be a big increase in budget of LGUs due to implementation of the Mandanas ruling and we will make sure to use this for pandemic recovery,” the former three term senator said.

Legarda said she considers mayors as partners in the implementation of key measures she initiated during her three previous terms in the Senate and now as representative of Antique.

Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda speaks before the League of Municipalities of the Philippines’ (LMP) National Convention in Pasay City.

She cited as examples the magna carta for micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as in bringing social service programs of the national government closer to the people, including emergency employment service and livelihood assistance which have been instrumental in helping Filipinos sustain economic empowerment in the midst of the pandemic when many lost their jobs and livelihood.

“It was you, local chief executives who enforced laws that I authored – MSME law, DOLE TUPAD, Pangkabuhayan, DSWD Sustainable Livelihood Program, including DTI Shared Services Facilities. In my three terms in the Senate, I made sure the laws I crafted were not only aligned with the needs of our people, but were enacted in consultation with the local chief executives of our country,” Legarda stressed.

The senatorial candidate also appealed to local chief executives to help ensure effective implementation of 10 environmental laws she authored and sponsored in her previous term as Senator which she said already form the framework of a sustainable, green pandemic recovery.

These include the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Renewable Energy Act, Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, National Environmental Awareness and Education Act, the Climate Change Act, the People’s Survival Fund Act, the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, and the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act.

In closing, Legarda expressed her hope to replicate the progress and development that her fellow Antiquenos are now enjoying in other parts of the country,

“I am forever grateful for all the help you have given me. What I have done in Antique, I know I can do for the rest of Panay Region, the rest of Visayas, and the rest of the country,” she added.