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Villar: Rizal's Vision For The Poor, The Youth Must Live On
Nacionalistas vow to continue Rizal's fight against poverty and lack of access to quality education

Nacionalista Party President Senator Manny Villar said it is disheartening that the very same problems and challenges that confronted Filipinos during the time of Jose Rizal still hound Filipinos today. Together with his party-mates, Villar continues to fight for the cause of the poor, oppressed, and the youth through their platform and advocacies.

"Gat Jose Rizal is a true-blue nationalist and we nacionalistas share his vision and passion towards helping our countrymen rise from poverty, injustice, oppression, and ignorance due to lack of education. We will empower the poor, the oppressed and rally the youth towards greatness and heroism," said Villar.

Rizal and the other heroes during his time, according to Villar, waged a war for independence and won lasting freedom for the country from oppressors. "But there is another battle that we need to win now, once and for all. We at the Nacionalista Party are waging a revolution against poverty. Our enemy is no longer an occupying force but poverty in all its forms."

According to Villar, Rizal should remain as the youth's inspiration and role model particularly those wallowing in poverty, in bettering their lives and reaching for their dreams. Villar added: "Talaga namang maraming naiwang mga aral si Jose Rizal para sa mga kabataang Pilipino at ang kanyang buhay mismo ay tunay na magandang inspirasyon para sa ating lahat."

"Rizal placed great importance to the youth, which he rightly considered as the hope of the nation. He also greatly valued learning that he aspired for every Filipino to be educated and to be delivered from ignorance or poverty of the mind. In one of his poems, he even declare that 'education gives glory to the Motherland'," said Villar.

Villar sees the need to revitalize Philippine education by building more classrooms; upgrading the quality of teaching through aggressive teachers training, improving teachers' benefits; and, through a ladderized vocational training geared towards industry needs.

"We need to empower the youth not just with real weapons against poverty, the most important of which is education. Ang edukasyon, ayon na rin kay Rizal, ay isang kayamanan na hindi kailanman mananakaw. Kahit ang aking mga magulang ay naniniwala sa importansya ng edukasyon kung kaya kahit marami kaming magkakapatid, iginapang at itinaguyod nila ang aming edukasyon," Villar also said.