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Tolentino to focus on disaster preparedness in Senate bid

By Gladys Pino

January 4, 2019, 7:53 pm

TAGAYTAY CITY -- Former presidential political affairs adviser Francis Tolentino said he will put disaster preparedness as his main thrust in his bid for a Senate seat in the May 2019 mid-term elections.

At the sidelines of his birthday celebration held at the Sigtuna Hall of Tagaytay International Convention Center (TICC) on Thursday, the former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairperson cited the onslaught of Tropical Depression Usman in the Bicol region, which claimed more than 100 lives with some still missing, as a need to prioritize disaster management and readiness.

Wala kasing nagbabantay [sa Bicol] kaya 100 agad ang patay (There is nobody monitoring Bicol, that’s why 100 died),” Tolentino said.

"Walang tumatakbong senador na nakahawak na ng patay, naghukay ng bangkay, nakahawak ng naagnas na bangkay (No other candidate has held, extracted bodies, or even held a decomposing cadaver)," he said, noting that he experienced all these during Supertyphoon Yolanda.

When asked for his birthday wish, Tolentino said he wishes for continuous growth for Calabarzon through various infrastructure projects. The region consists of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.

The ongoing projects include the extension of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) from Manila to Bacoor City, and the proposed New Centennial Water Supply Project-Kaliwa Dam, which will ensure water supply for Metro Manila residents and an additional raw water source that will augment the supply from Angat Dam.

Tolentino said he also hopes the Tutuban-Los Baños Railway (Southern Line) project of Philippine National Railways (PNR) to materialize soon.

The bridge project will connect Batangas province to Mindoro (an alternative for the current ferry system), the Tayabas (Quezon) Highway, and the extension of Lucena (Quezon) to South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) road.

The birthday celebrator personally conveyed these wishes to his special guest, President Rodrigo Duterte.

The President graced the occasion to formally endorse Tolentino’s senatorial bid, together with two other administration bets -- former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go and former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Ronald "Bato” dela Rosa.

His birthday celebration served as a show of force, with Calabarzon’s provincial and local government officials in attendance, including former Cavite governor Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla and Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez. (PNA)

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