I grew up thinking the world revolves only around the affluent, the rich and the influential. I grew up thinking we in the rural, ethnic, marginalized societies will remain as we have always been—unheard of, unnoticed, neglected. My parents, even grandparents, all succumbed to the submission that we will remain invisible to the eyes of the country’s leaders. Worse, they had to fight countless inequities and injustice, only to end up ironically, they still remained disadvantaged.
It’s been more than three presidencies and we are still in the same shadow. Which makes me think: will we stay here for the rest of our lives?
But a few weeks ago I had my hopes see some spark. Someone as larger-than-life as Loren Legarda took the stage to announce, very well candidly, that her candidacy does not only mean a journey to victory.
She assured that in the midst of all the noise and secret whispers, the interests of a cooperative versus a mayor’s, that of a local party leader needing campaign fund for a political post versus that of a small farmers’ group, in the midst of threats from political interest groups of withdrawal of support if their leaders are not given funds—despite all these, she will listen and be the voice of truth, parity and kindness.
She believes those who manage the commons have reason to work together for the benefit of the majority. Her decision-making on issues like agriculture and environment reflects the needs for our cooperatives and farmers’ associations to prepare us for the future. She strongly advocates to teach farmers and fisherfolk in the most productive and sustainable way, and to channel resources to the farm management mechanism to integrate fragmented landholdings and attain economies of scale in production and marketing. She believes that we all can work through a collaborative action. This alone gives me a feeling of hope that she believes in the potential for greatness that every Filipino has.
Loren also believes that the root of all evil in the society lies within the smallest selfish motives of even the most ordinary citizen, which boils down to depriving others of the truth and justice. On the other hand, she pushes for an attitude than marks the tapping of everyone’s innate goodness as a milestone to attaining small achievements. Collectively, all these ‘small’ achievements will collate into one big success. Hence eventually, our society will slowly but continuously rise from the Black Hole of poverty and corruption. Loren believes that just as we have to be responsible for our own actions, we also have to be responsible to and with each other. After all, one’s failure is everyone’s downfall in the long run. Again, collectivity.
I am confident that one whisper to Loren from me will not be in vain because I know she will listen. Not just to my one voice, but to everyone else’s—irrespective of the perspective. And with this, I am equally confident that she as a leader and as person will make wise, fair and learned judgments that will benefit the majority not only because that is her obligation as a legislator and public official. She will do so because as a person, she knows very well that the dynamics of an entire country is easily likened to the minutest group wherein every voice counts.
There is hope, at least for me and my family, that she will listen to us and to all Filipinos. I am optimistic that she will be the voice of unity.
Source: http://climatewatchphilippines.blogspot.com/2009/11/voice-of-unity.html
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Poverty, climate change is next admin’s biggest challenge -- Loren
Senator Loren Legarda said today that the next administration must implement real solutions to the problems of joblessness, poverty and hunger among Filipinos, even as she chided government’s “sugar-coated” statistics on the incidence of poverty in the country.
“There is great disparity between the 53 percent of Filipinos who consider themselves poor in the latest Social Weather Station (SWS) survey and the 32.9 percent of poor Filipinos as determined by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB),” said Loren.
The chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, Loren said that the discrepancy arises not only from the three-year difference when the NSCB last estimated poverty in the Philippines in 2006 and when the SWS conducted the survey for the month of September 2009.
“There’s a 20-percent difference that could only be blamed on the unrealistic paramaters set by the outgoing administration in determining who among Filipinos are poor,” said Loren.
“I am, of course, referring to the NSCB’s poverty threshold of P15,057 for a family composed of five members, which is just too low and unrealistic,” she stressed.
Loren cited the finding of an independent think-tank that based on the government-set poverty threshold, a Filipino would just need P41.25 a day to meet both his food and non-food needs each day. “That’s even less than a dollar a day considering the present exchange rate of P47.50 to a US dollar,” said Loren.
The senator said that the next administration that would be voted into office in next year’s election must come up with more realistic poverty indicators because undereportage of real poverty incidence results to government’s policies, actions and programs not being based on reality.
“If government is to be effective in helping provide livelihood, boosting the economy and ensuring food sufficiency for the 88.57 million Filipinos (as of August 2007), it must first determine where we really stand and must shed off its blinders,” said Loren.
The Philippine population is projected to hit 92.3 million this year.
Reacting to the SWS survey, a Malacañang official blamed the economic slowdown and the recent typhoons that hit the country for the increase in the poverty incidence.
“There may be a grain of truth in that claim by Malacañang, considering that the SWS survey for September must have been undertaken at least after the first of three typhoons, Ondoy, had hit the country,” said Loren.
“But typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng and Santi primarily hit Luzon, while the SWS survey was nationwide in scope. So, it’s not at all factual, this claim by the government.”
Just the same, Loren said that the devastations caused by the typhoons would indeed necessitate a review of the 2010 national budget because the same had been proposed well before the three typhoons devastated the country.
“The next administration will have its work cut out for it. It must address worsening poverty, which is expected to be aggravated by climate change related concerns, such as what we’ve seen with Ondoy, Pepeng and Santi,” said Loren.
Source:
http://www.lorenlegarda.com.ph/article-1257413487.html
http://ofwjournalism.blogspot.com/2009/11/poverty-climate-change-is-next-admins.html
“There is great disparity between the 53 percent of Filipinos who consider themselves poor in the latest Social Weather Station (SWS) survey and the 32.9 percent of poor Filipinos as determined by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB),” said Loren.
The chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, Loren said that the discrepancy arises not only from the three-year difference when the NSCB last estimated poverty in the Philippines in 2006 and when the SWS conducted the survey for the month of September 2009.
“There’s a 20-percent difference that could only be blamed on the unrealistic paramaters set by the outgoing administration in determining who among Filipinos are poor,” said Loren.
“I am, of course, referring to the NSCB’s poverty threshold of P15,057 for a family composed of five members, which is just too low and unrealistic,” she stressed.
Loren cited the finding of an independent think-tank that based on the government-set poverty threshold, a Filipino would just need P41.25 a day to meet both his food and non-food needs each day. “That’s even less than a dollar a day considering the present exchange rate of P47.50 to a US dollar,” said Loren.
The senator said that the next administration that would be voted into office in next year’s election must come up with more realistic poverty indicators because undereportage of real poverty incidence results to government’s policies, actions and programs not being based on reality.
“If government is to be effective in helping provide livelihood, boosting the economy and ensuring food sufficiency for the 88.57 million Filipinos (as of August 2007), it must first determine where we really stand and must shed off its blinders,” said Loren.
The Philippine population is projected to hit 92.3 million this year.
Reacting to the SWS survey, a Malacañang official blamed the economic slowdown and the recent typhoons that hit the country for the increase in the poverty incidence.
“There may be a grain of truth in that claim by Malacañang, considering that the SWS survey for September must have been undertaken at least after the first of three typhoons, Ondoy, had hit the country,” said Loren.
“But typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng and Santi primarily hit Luzon, while the SWS survey was nationwide in scope. So, it’s not at all factual, this claim by the government.”
Just the same, Loren said that the devastations caused by the typhoons would indeed necessitate a review of the 2010 national budget because the same had been proposed well before the three typhoons devastated the country.
“The next administration will have its work cut out for it. It must address worsening poverty, which is expected to be aggravated by climate change related concerns, such as what we’ve seen with Ondoy, Pepeng and Santi,” said Loren.
Source:
http://www.lorenlegarda.com.ph/article-1257413487.html
http://ofwjournalism.blogspot.com/2009/11/poverty-climate-change-is-next-admins.html
Loren meets Laguna local leaders to find solutions to flooded rice fields
STA CRUZ, LAGUNA - Senator Loren Legarda yesterday met local leaders and government officials here to find solutions to the rice fields being flooded during typhoons.
Rice fields surrounding Laguna de Bay, the largest freshwater lake in the Philippines and the third biggest Southeast Asia, have been flooded for more than a month now since typhoon Ondoy lashed northern and central Luzon.
Loren, chairperson of the Senate Oversight Committee on Climate Change, held a Senate hearing in a flooded rice field in Sitio Butuanan, Sta. Cruz, Laguna. More than a dozen mayors of lakeshore towns as well as other local and national government officials attended the hearing.
The aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy late September caused the waters of the Laguna de Bay to overflow by 10.4 meters leaving 28 towns and cities submerged in flood waters, and damaging thousands of hectares of ricecrops.
Ondoy poured some 3,300 cubic meters of rainwater on Marikina and Antipolo which should have flowed through the Napindan channel to the Pasig River and thence to Manila bay at the rate of 150 cubic meters per second, Loren learned.
The fisherfork group Pamalakaya blamed the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) for its refusal to open up the Napindan Channel. They claimed that LLDA General Manager Edgardo Manda refused to open the Napindan Channel that should have flushed excess water from the lake.
Manda denied responsibility for the operation of the Napindan Channel and pointed to the Metro Manila Development Authority as the agency responsible.
Loren, however, noted that a study released by the Asian Development Bank in 2004 stated that the Napindan Channel was initially operated by the Department of Public Works and Highways but its operation and control was turned over to the Metro Manila Development Authority in 2003.
The senator proposed that it must be made clear which government agency has jurisdiction over the operation of the Napindan Channel.
Loren also distributed relief goods to poor families in Barangay Gatid, Sta. Cruz, Laguna on the way to the public hearing.. She was assisted by Rep. San Luis of the 4th district of Laguna and by Mayor Ariel Magcalas of Sta. Cruz, Laguna.
After the hearing ended in the afternoon, Loren visited an evacuation site in Pedro Guevarra Memorial National High School, Sta. Cruz where she also distributed relief goods to 200 families.
Source: http://www.lorenlegarda.com.ph/article-1257327925.html
Rice fields surrounding Laguna de Bay, the largest freshwater lake in the Philippines and the third biggest Southeast Asia, have been flooded for more than a month now since typhoon Ondoy lashed northern and central Luzon.
Loren, chairperson of the Senate Oversight Committee on Climate Change, held a Senate hearing in a flooded rice field in Sitio Butuanan, Sta. Cruz, Laguna. More than a dozen mayors of lakeshore towns as well as other local and national government officials attended the hearing.
The aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy late September caused the waters of the Laguna de Bay to overflow by 10.4 meters leaving 28 towns and cities submerged in flood waters, and damaging thousands of hectares of ricecrops.
Ondoy poured some 3,300 cubic meters of rainwater on Marikina and Antipolo which should have flowed through the Napindan channel to the Pasig River and thence to Manila bay at the rate of 150 cubic meters per second, Loren learned.
The fisherfork group Pamalakaya blamed the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) for its refusal to open up the Napindan Channel. They claimed that LLDA General Manager Edgardo Manda refused to open the Napindan Channel that should have flushed excess water from the lake.
Manda denied responsibility for the operation of the Napindan Channel and pointed to the Metro Manila Development Authority as the agency responsible.
Loren, however, noted that a study released by the Asian Development Bank in 2004 stated that the Napindan Channel was initially operated by the Department of Public Works and Highways but its operation and control was turned over to the Metro Manila Development Authority in 2003.
The senator proposed that it must be made clear which government agency has jurisdiction over the operation of the Napindan Channel.
Loren also distributed relief goods to poor families in Barangay Gatid, Sta. Cruz, Laguna on the way to the public hearing.. She was assisted by Rep. San Luis of the 4th district of Laguna and by Mayor Ariel Magcalas of Sta. Cruz, Laguna.
After the hearing ended in the afternoon, Loren visited an evacuation site in Pedro Guevarra Memorial National High School, Sta. Cruz where she also distributed relief goods to 200 families.
Source: http://www.lorenlegarda.com.ph/article-1257327925.html
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