Loren Legarda wants further development of Caraga

Senatorial Candidate Loren Legarda during PDP-Laban’s grand rally in Butuan City on Tuesday, April 12.

MANILA, Philippines — Senatorial aspirant Loren Legarda reiterated her aim to develop the Carage region further through livelihood assistance, employment generation, and green pandemic recovery.

During her visit to Butuan City on Tuesday, Legarda stated that she prioritized promoting programs that provide employment and livelihood to Filipinos in her 20 years in public service.

“God-willing, pagbalik po natin sa Senado, sisiguraduhin natin na ang mga programa na ito ay patuloy na mapondohan, mapalawak at mapaigting ang implementasyon upang mas marami pa nating kababayan ang makinabang para sa mas epektibong pag-ahon at pagbangon mula sa pandemya,” Legarda said.

As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, Legarda prioritized the enactment and allocation of funds to government livelihood and skills development programs, including the Barangay Kabuhayan Skills Training Program (BKSTP), Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP), and Special Training for Employment Program (STEP), all under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) benefitting trainees in Dinagat Islands, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Surigao del Norte, among others.

The three-term Senator also advanced the implementation of the DOLE TUPAD Program in the region to provide emergency employment for displaced, underemployed, and seasonal workers. She also put a premium on assistance and protective services for the marginalized and disadvantaged through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) by allocating funds for the whole region.

She has likewise allocated funds for various DPWH projects, including the construction of Multipurpose Buildings in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur, and Lingig, Surigao del Sur.

Senatorial Candidate Loren Legarda during PDP-Laban’s grand rally in Butuan City on Tuesday, April 12.

Legarda also principally authored the Expanded National Integrated Protected Area System (E-NIPAS) under Republic Act 11038, which establishes 94 protected areas in the country and provides for these sites’ management. Under the ENIPAS law, three protected areas are located in Caraga region: the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Agusan del Sur, the Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape in Surigao del Norte, and the Tinuy-An Falls Protected Landscape in Surigao del Sur.

“As a country often visited by devastating typhoons, we should have long understood the workings of nature and learn from these experiences to help ourselves become resilient. We have to continue to build with nature, promote nature-based solutions to effectively prevent further loss and damage. Let us protect our environment and preserve our protected areas because these are our natural buffers against flooding, erosion, and other climate hazards,” Legarda said.

Moreover, as a staunch advocate of culture and arts preservation, Legarda initiated the establishment of Schools of Living Traditions to save the indigenous people’s culture and traditions and provide a venue to impart skills and techniques to the younger generations. One of these, the SLT Agusan del Sur of the Manobos, can be found in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur.

“As I seek another seat at the Senate, with your support, I hope to continue what I have already started for the Caraganons and help ensure that programs of the national government will reach even the farthest provinces, and even down to the barangay level,” Legarda said.

“Nakita ko po kung paano nabago ang buhay ng aking mga kasimanwa sa Antique nang ating bigyan ng higit na halaga ang pangangalaga sa kalikasan at kultura, at nang ating isinulong ang dagdag-oportunidad sa trabaho at kabuhayan. Nagawa po natin sa Antique, hindi po imposibleng magagawa din natin sa bawat probinsya sa bansa. Pagtulungan po nating makabangon at tuluyang umunlad sa kabila ng hamon ng pandemya at ng climate crisis.”

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