By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – The Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial ticket is opposed to the idea of killing drug offenders to stop the narcotics trade, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Saturday.
During a campaign rally in Santa Rosa City, Laguna, Marcos said the administration’s candidates believe that the passage of a law empowering the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the local government units (LGUs) is the “right solution” to address drug proliferation and maintain peace and order.
“Sa laban naman sa krimen, alam niyo po, wala po dito sa amin ang naniniwala na ang paglaban sa krimen, na ang paglaban sa droga ay kailangang pumatay ng libu-libong Pilipino. Hindi po ganoon ang tamang paraan upang pagandahin ang kapayapaan, upang labanan ang krimen, upang pabagsakin ang mga drug lord. Hindi po pumatay ng Pilipino (As for the fight against crime, you know, none of us here believe that in fighting crime, in fighting drugs, you have to kill thousands of Filipinos. That is not the right way to improve peace, to fight crime, to bring down drug lords. It is not right to kill Filipinos),” Marcos said.
“Sumulat po tayo ng mga batas na tunay na magbibigay ng kapangyarihan sa ating mga kapulisan, sa ating mga local government leaders para maitigil lahat ng mga nangyayaring krimen, para ma-itigil lahat po ng mga nangyayaring pagkalat ng droga para sirain ang buhay ng ating mga kabataan (We have to write laws that will truly empower our police officers, our local government leaders to stop all the crimes that are happening, to stop the drug proliferation that destroys the lives of our youth),” he added.
Marcos reiterated that the Alyansa ticket’s goal is to promote the Filipinos’ interests and welfare.
He said his preferred candidates also support his firm stance to defend the Philippines from any foreign power, including those that are considered “powerful.”
Marcos assured voters of the coalition’s commitment to help his administration in combating poverty, illegal drugs and crime.
“Magtulungan po tayo, mag-alyansa po tayo ulit upang labanan ang kahirapan, upang labanan ang krimen, upang labanan ang mga drug lord dito sa Pilipinas. Ito po, hinaharap ko sa inyo ang ating Alyansa na siyang gagawa at siyang magta-trabaho upang pabalikin ang kapayapaan dito sa ating minamahal na Pilipinas (Let us work together, let us form an alliance again to fight poverty, to fight crime, to fight drug lords here in the Philippines. This is what I present to you, our Alyansa that will work and do their job to restore peace here in our beloved Philippines),” he said.
Solid track record
The Alyansa ticket is composed of former Interior secretary Benhur Abalos; Makati City Mayor Abby Binay; incumbent Senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Imee Marcos and Francis Tolentino; former senators Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao and Vicente Sotto III; and House lawmakers Erwin Tulfo and Camille Villar.
Alyansa’s campaign manager, Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, expressed optimism that Laguna voters would pick the administration-backed candidates, citing their impressive track record and plans for the country.
With over 2.14 million registered voters, Laguna ranks fourth among the biggest voting province in the country, making it a strategic battleground heading into the May 12 elections.
The Alyansa bets vowed to bring results-driven leadership to help Marcos in delivering his promises to the Filipino people.
Land use, urban planning
In a press conference before attending the campaign rally, the Alyansa candidates cited the need to come up with a comprehensive land use and urban planning to protect the agricultural lands while sustaining growth in Laguna.
They emphasized the immediate need to pass the proposed National Land Use Act in the 20th Congress to prevent further reduction of the country’s agricultural lands due to unregulated land conversion.
Sotto recalled that the Senate approved the bill in the 15th Congress, but was not passed by the House of Representatives.
Lacson noted that Calabarzon still has 90,000 hectares of alienable and disposable agricultural land, but Tulfo warned against continued land conversion that could impact food security.
“Habang hindi na-ipapasa ang National Land Use Act, asahan na po natin liliit ng liliit ang ating agricultural area. Liliit ho ‘yan kasi inaabuso no’ng mga buyer ng lupa, binabarat ‘yung mga (While the National Land Use Act is not passed, we can expect our agricultural areas to become smaller and smaller. It will become smaller because land buyers are abusing it, burdening the) farmers,” Tulfo said.
“‘Yung mga farmers naman, dahil wala kinikita masyado, walang suporta mula sa national government, mga subsidiya, kaya no choice siya kung hindi ibenta ang lupa niya para gawing subdivision, gawing ika-ngang industrial (The farmers, because they don’t earn much, there is no support and subsidies from the national government, they have no choice but to sell their land to be converted into a subdivision, an industrial land),” he added.
The proposed National Land Use Act seeks to establish a framework for the sustainable and equitable utilization of the country’s land resources. It aims to balance agricultural, residential, commercial and industrial land use while ensuring environmental protection.
Tolentino said a national urban plan is needed, considering that Laguna has been dubbed as the “Detroit of the Philippines” because of various automotive shops and is catering to people who are working in Metro Manila but seeking more affordable housing.
Abalos said local governments must anticipate the infrastructure needs that come with rapid development as Laguna is a magnet for growth.
Binay said the strict implementation of Comprehensive Land Use Plans is the key to balancing urban development and agricultural preservation. (PNA)
