Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:07:00 10/24/2009
Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Inquirer Politics, Politics, Elections, Environmental Issues
MANILA, Philippines — Vowing to run on a “green” platform, Senator Loren Legarda ended speculations on her political plans for 2010, formally announcing her candidacy for vice president at a rally at the Luneta on Friday.Curiously, she did not say who her presidential running mate would be, declaring that the post was still open.
Nor was there any mention of what political party vehicle she would be using, although many of the leaders and officials of her party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), led by Pangasinan Representative Mark Cojuangco, were at the rally.
Conspicuously absent were partymate Senator Francis Escudero, the presumptive NPC presidential standard-bearer, and NPC founder and presumable campaign funder, businessman Eduardo Cojuangco.
It was also curious that Legarda did not specifically mention that she was running for vice president during her 20-minute speech. She made that declaration at the press conference following her speech.
Legarda made the announcement amid speculations she was being courted by the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD to be the vice-presidential running mate of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.
“Based on my consultations, I have decided to run for higher office as vice president,” the senator said before a gathering of thousands of her supporters, partymates and the beneficiaries of her outreach program, “Lingkod Loren.”
“I have heeded the call of the people and I want to continue my humanitarian mission and climate change work. I am running for VP because you elected me in 2004 and voted for me along with FPJ, but I was not allowed to serve my term,” she added.
It was also five years and five months after she first sought the same elective post, a bid which she and her presidential running mate, the late popular movie star Fernando Poe Jr., lost to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Vice President Noli de Castro.
Determined to win
This time, Legarda said she was “determined to win” for the sake of present and future generations.
“Your servant knows the question troubling you tonight: Will Loren declare? The answer of your humble servant: Yes, I am declaring now. I am running for vice president,” Legarda said.
She said she had chosen Rizal Park in the Luneta as the venue for “the most important announcement of [her] life” to provide a fitting backdrop to her environmental advocacy.
“It is here at Luneta that I planted a thousand trees in 1998 as part of my environmental advocacy. Since then, over two million trees had already been planted. Tonight, I ask you to join me in planting the seeds of hope for all of us,” she said.
She said she wanted to do this in every major plaza in the country.
“Luneta is just the start. This is where I planted the first 1,000 trees, which now has grown to two million trees all over the Philippines. This is where we will plant the seeds of hope,” she said.
Four hours before the much-anticipated announcement, Legarda launched a humanitarian mission that included her most important advocacies: jobs, environment and health. She also hosted a job fair, gave away seedlings and provided free breast screening and mammograms.
There were films shown on climate change and disaster risk reduction, free eye checkups, free international calls for families of overseas Filipino workers and free haircuts.
Platform of government
The senator said that after Tropical Storms “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) and “Pepeng” (Parma) brought Filipinos down on their knees, there was no better time than now to show their resiliency and get back on their feet.
“We may have fallen, but we will rise and become even stronger,” she said.
She said her “green” platform consisted of “a strong commitment to help mitigate the effects of climate change, a strong anticorruption stance and honest-to-goodness public service.”
“We need a green platform. Let’s change how politics is being run in this country. The people should know your advocacies and what they can get from you,” she said.
In her 20-minute speech delivered in Filipino, Legarda stressed the need not only to revive the Filipino spirit, but also the Filipino’s self-respect and sense of patriotism.
She also identified the long-pestering problems of the country as being poor urban governance marked by improper or non-enforcement of laws, vulnerability of livelihood source in rural areas and ecosystems decline.
“These are the deadly trio that will continue to claim lives and impede national development if we will ignore them, especially now that we are feeling the effects of climate change,” she said.
Must-do list
She identified a six-point “must-do” list for the new administration that will come out of the 2010 elections.
First, the country’s resources, including government funds, should go toward affording all Filipinos housing, sanitation, potable water, access to medicines and proper health care, education for the youth and skills training.
Second, government must recognize the contributions of overseas Filipino workers by facilitating their gainful employment, providing them ample protection against abuses and by continuously upgrading their skills and knowledge.
Third, the new administration must really crack down on corruption, which wastes the country’s limited resources, destroys institutions and undermines the trust of the people and of the international community, including foreign investors.
Fourth, protection of the environment and initiation of pro-active measures to address the problem of climate change and the disasters related to it by strictly following geohazard maps in pursuing development plans, flood control and solid waste management systems.
Fifth, forge a genuine peace, especially in Mindanao, not only through law enforcement but through the resolution of the root causes of the conflicts in the countryside, poverty and social injustice to name a few.
Sixth, forge a cultural renaissance for Filipino culture and traits to be recognized, rejuvenated and passed on to future generations “because they are what makes Filipinos unique as a people.”
Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091024-231933/Legarda-looking-for-No-1
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