Oathtaking and Inaugural speech of Honorable Loren Legarda as Senator of the 19th Congress

Описание: INAUGURAL SPEECH OF SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA
June 27, 2022
San Jose de Buenavista, Antique

Magandang umaga. Mayad nga aga!

Twenty-four years ago, I entered the halls of Congress, with a mandate from the Filipino people as Senator of the Republic. That was in 1998; I was 38 years old and a novice in the political arena. Since then, I have worked for 21 years--- 18 years or 3 terms in the Senate, and 3 years as Congresswoman of the lone district of Antique.

It has been tremendously fulfilling but it is an ongoing journey, an enduring one because today marks my 22nd year as your lawmaker. I stand honored and proud before you to accept my mandate once again, to be your Senator for the 4th time, the most senior in terms of tenure.

I once said that my education at the University of the Philippines and the National Defense College of the Philippines, my two decades of work as a journalist prepared me for the Senate, and that my three terms in the Senate readied me for public service in Antique. And what did the past three years teach me? I dare say: the three years I devoted to serving my home province have reminded me of what I came here for. It was indeed an arduous, daunting, challenging, but opportune time to be a Congresswoman. I served Antique precisely when the world was stricken by a global health crisis that exacted an enormous economic toll on humanity.

I saw firsthand the crippling consequences of the pandemic.

I witnessed how our kasimanwas desperately grappled with the challenges—from scraping for income, medicine, and food to coping with isolation and uncertainty

Today, as I return in the Senate, I realize that while we tirelessly worked and successfully enacted laws, established programs, and ushered in policies, these must be translated into tangible benefits for the nation, and for our countrymen. We may have tossed the pebble into the water but its ripples must extend to the farthest reaches: the countryside; the grassroots; the poorest of the poor; and the most vulnerable.

I asked myself again: What ails our country? Because while we advocated, shepherded, and enacted laws on health, education, livelihood, the environment, and social services, our people are still in dire need of help.

What continues to plague us? How do we translate all these laws into substantial benefits that would extend to the farthest reaches of our 7,107 islands? How do we recover from the afflictions of the last few years, the twin crises of climate change and the pandemic?

Trabaho at kabuhayan. Ito ang dapat nating patuloy na isulong lalo na’t hindi pa tapos ang ating laban sa kasalukuyang pandemya at sa krisis ng klima.

Please allow me to run through some of the initiatives that are in my heart and mind as I prepare for my bigger role in nation-building.


Read full speech here: https://https://www.lorenlegarda.com.ph/inaug...