ANGARA IS NEW LDP PRESIDENT

Senator Sonny Angara has been named the new president of Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), the political party founded by his father, the late Senate President Edgardo Angara, in 1988.

According to Angara, his election as LDP president serves as an opportunity for him to continue his father's aspirations not only for the 30-year-old party but for the nation as well.

Angara said his father's untimely death should not prevent the party from pursuing reforms that are important to Filipino families.

"Sa totoo nga, dapat magsilbing inspirasyon ang aking ama para patuloy nating isulong ang mga mahahalagang reporma," Angara told his partymates during their recent organizational meeting and fellowship dinner held at the Manila Golf and Country Club.

These reforms include widening access to education, better job opportunities, universal health care, and universal social pension for senior citizens.

Such reforms, Angara noted, aim to empower every single member of a Filipino family.

"Iilan lang ito sa mga panukalang reporma na dapat nating isulong bilang isang partido. At mapapansin nyo na lahat ito ay nakatuon sa pagbibigay ng ayuda o suporta sa bawat myembro ng pamilyang Pilipino--mula kay bunso hanggang kay lolo at lola," Angara pointed out.

At this juncture, Angara urged his partymates to do everything to make LDP the "partido ng pamilyang Pilipino."

"Sana magkaisa tayo sa mensahe na lahat dapat sa pamilya ay sinusuportahan at tinutulungan," he added.

Angara said the LDP's reform agenda on education started when his father authored the Free High School Law, which helped widen the access to education for Filipino children.

"Kaya tayo naman, ipinaglaban natin na maging libre ang kindergarten at kamakailan lang, ang kolehiyo para sa bawat Pilipino," said Angara, one of the authors of the Free College Law and Free Kindergarten Law.

The senator is now pushing for bills that would provide student discounts to help families with daily school expenses, and raise teachers' salary to help improve the quality of education in the country.

To provide better job opportunities, Angara ushered the passage of laws strengthening the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES), and institutionalizing the JobStart program.

On universal healthcare, Angara sought to expand the coverage of PhilHealth to include free checkups, laboratory tests and medicines for all Filipinos. His father is known as the "father of PhilHealth."

"Hanggang ngayon po kasi, ayaw pa rin magpatingin sa doktor ang ating kababayaan, hanggang sa malala na at nanganganib na ang kanilang sakit," said Angara, lamenting that six out of 10 Filipinos die without ever seeing a doctor or any health professional.

His father is also responsible for the law providing benefits and privileges to senior citizens, including their 20-percent discount.

For his part, Angara expanded the discount by exempting the elderly from paying the 12% value-added tax.

Angara is now pushing for universal social pension. "Bukod sa nais natin na lahat ng mahihirap na senior citizens ang makatanggap ng social pension, isinusulong din natin na gawing doble ang halaga nito mula P500 hanggang P1,000," he said.