Senatorial Candidate Loren speaks before thousands of Caviteños during Uniteam’s grand rally in General Trias Cavite on Tuesday, March 22.
MANILA, Philippines — Senatorial candidate Loren Legarda urged Cavite leaders to support her programs to strengthen employment and livelihood creations in every Barangays in the province.
Legarda reiterated in a statement that despite significant improvement of the current unemployment rate in the country, pursuing employment alternatives will strongly complement the provision of jobs and help address the lingering unemployment problems brought by the pandemic and extreme weather events.
“Mula 7.3 million na Pilipinong walang trabaho sa kasagsagan ng pandemya noong April 2020, malaki na po ang ibinaba ng statistics sa kasalukuyang 2.93 million. However, 2.93 million unemployed Filipinos is still a big number, and the fact remains that this is one of the major problems that need to be addressed urgently. We have to strengthen efforts in generating more jobs for our growing population,” Legarda said.
To strengthen the promotion and ensure better implementation of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Law (RA 9501), the three-term Senator relaunched her LOREN sa bawat barangay program, that can be a viable platform for generating employment opportunities and better incomes to spur economic growth, particularly at grassroots levels.
‘LOREN sa bawat barangay’ aims to strengthen the promotion and ensure better implementation of the (MSME) Law (RA 9501) and the Barangay Livelihood and Skills Training Act (RA 9509), which she both authored and sponsored during her term as Senator.
“Kaya hinihikayat ko ang lokal na pamahalaan ng Cavite na makiisa sa aking pagsusulong na paigtingin ang mga programang pangkabuhayan sa bawat barangay. Kailangan nating mailapit ang mga programa ng pamahalaan sa ating mga mamamayan,” Legarda said.
“Kailangan nating ipaalam sa kanila ang mga programa na maaari nilang mapakinabangan para sa kanilang sariling pag-unlad at ang ating mga LGUs ay may malaking papel na gagampanan dito dahil kayo ang mas nakakaalam ng kanilang pangangailangan,” She added.
Legarda also stated that sustainable development and the promotion of green jobs must be embedded in the government’s efforts to improve employment statistics in the country.
“Cavite has a rich land and rich marine biodiversity, adding to its potential to vastly contribute in sustainable development and in the promotion of green jobs that will help our government sustain the country’s socio-economic gains while promoting climate change adaptation efforts,” She said.
“For instance, renewable energy projects, developing agriculture, forestry, and horticulture, environmental information technology can generate jobs and provide livelihood opportunities to poor communities while making good use of recyclable waste materials, which would also help solve our waste management problem,” Legarda added.
Through Legarda’s intervention, many Caviteños benefited from DOLE TUPAD and Government Internship Program (GIP); TESDA programs such as the Barangay Kabuhayan Skills Training Program (BKSTP), Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP), and Special Training for Employment Program (STEP); and DSWD Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), especially LGUs affected by the Taal Volcano eruption.
Legarda also assisted in improving healthcare in the province. She recently inaugurated the Ospital ng Tagaytay and allocated funds to provide equipment for Bacoor District Hospital in Cavite.
She also supported the construction and repair of roads, multipurpose buildings in the Cavite State University and other barangays in Carmona and Bacoor, and the construction of villa-type cottages in the Development Academy of the Philippines-Tagaytay.
“Ang higit nating kailangang pagtuunan ng pansin ay ang pagbibigay ng oportunidad at pag-asa sa ating mga nasasakupan na kayang-kaya nilang bumangon at magsimula ulit sa kabila ng mga hamon sa pagdating ng mga sakuna at ng pandemya,” Legarda said.
“We have to consistently look for opportunities for progress to ensure that development is equitable and inclusive. Let us empower our workforce, especially those in the marginalized sector, because I believe that employment and livelihood is what we need to recover and rebuild lives of our people.“
On Tuesday, Legarda shared her platform as a senatorial candidate to thousands of Caviteños during Uniteam’s grand rally in General Trias Cavite.