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Legarda to focus on Antique’s rich culture, nature

By Annabel Consuelo Petinglay

May 3, 2019, 7:20 pm

<p><strong>DIALOGUE.</strong> Members of the Save Antique Movement listen as Senator Loren Legarda during a dialogue held at the St. Anthony’s College in Antique on Thursday (May 2, 2019). The organizer invited Legarda, who is running for Congress. <em>(PNA photo by Annabel Petinglay)</em></p>

DIALOGUE. Members of the Save Antique Movement listen as Senator Loren Legarda during a dialogue held at the St. Anthony’s College in Antique on Thursday (May 2, 2019). The organizer invited Legarda, who is running for Congress. (PNA photo by Annabel Petinglay)

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique -- Senator Loren Legarda has vowed to give priority to the rich culture and nature of Antique, should she hurdle the congressional race for the lone district of Antique this May 13 polls.

“Culture blends well with nature,” she said before members of the Save Antique Movement, a non-government organization that organized a dialogue with selected candidates held at the Saint Anthony’s College in this capital town on Thursday.

The outgoing senator is running for representative of the lone district of Antique in the 2019 elections.

The invitation was also extended to incumbent Antique lone district Rep. Paolo Everardo Javier, who is running for governor, but he did not show up.

Javier decided not to attend the dialogue after knowing that his father Exequiel, who is running against the senator, was not invited, according to Antique Board Member Egidio Ello, who gave the invitation.

Save Antique Movement convener Virgilio Sanchez said in a later interview that the dialogue was intended for them to know the candidate’s stand on environment-related issues.

“We wanted to know what would be the stand of our political candidates on the environment,” he said.

However, since it was only Legarda who showed up, then she got all the chance to answer the issues raised.

Among the issues presented on the floor included the ill effects of the mining activity of the Semirara Mining and Power Corporation in Semirara, Caluya town, the housing project of the National Housing Authority (NHA) in a flood-prone area in Barangay Duyong, Pandan, and the quarrying activities in Antique that are feared to destroy the environment.

Legarda said she intends to sit down with the members of the Save Antique Movement, government agencies concerned, and affected residents after the May 13 elections if she wins as congresswoman so they could can come up with tangible solutions.

“I intend to make Antique a resilient province to the adverse impact of climate change,”Legarda said.

Meanwhile, in giving priority to culture and nature, among her plans are reviving the unique cultural practices and performances like sponsoring last week’s “Pista ng Komedya” with the National Center for Culture and the Arts and putting up the Institute for Living Tradition.

She said that giving priority to nature means coming up with massive tree-planting activities and establishing a sanitary landfill for San Jose de Buenavista and Sibalom, as mandated under the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

The Save Antique Movement is a registered non-government organization in Antique formed in 2009. It is composed of professionals, priests, lawyers, doctors, and Overseas Filipino Workers from Antique who are concerned with the development in their province. (PNA)

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