Sen. Roxas visits Dumaguete, Bacolod cities

Senator Mar Roxas visited Dumaguete City and Bacolod City prior to the weekend, holding talks with various sectors on issues that matter to the people and discussing with them his advocacies to put people first.

Arriving in Dumaguete City on Thursday morning, the senator, known as “Mr. Palengke,” went to the Dumaguete City Public Market, checking on prices of basic goods and ensuring that wet market facilities were up to standard.

In both cities, he held a dialogue with tricycle and pedicab drivers to discuss the effect of the high prices of fuel, medicines and their other needs, and on his proposals to address these by suspending the 12% value-added tax on oil and through the Quality Affordable Medicines Bill, among other advocacies.

“Sa panahon ngayon na napakataas ng presyo ng petrolyo sa mundo, na talagang nakakaapekto sa presyo ng lahat ng bilihin, napapanahon nang tanggalin o i-suspinde ang VAT sa langis,” he said.

“At dahil ang ating mga traysikel at pedicab drivers ay laging nasa kalsada, nabibilad sa araw o nababasa ng ulan, at lagi pang nakakalanghap ng usok, talagang nakabanta lagi sa kanila ang sakit. Para sa kapakanan nila at ng iba pang mga tao, nararapat nang ipasa ang Affordable Medicines Bill,” he added.

Meanwhile, also in Dumaguete City, the Liberal Party President went to Silliman University, one of the most renowned academic institutions in Asia, to speak before its students on law and development.

“In our recent times, we see a disconnect in how, instead of being beneficiaries of the law, people feel victims of the law. Because in reality, those sworn to uphold the law are themselves breaking the law,” he said.

“Take a look, for example, at what has happened in this ZTE-NBN scandal. The procurement laws that require bidding were bypassed, and so we have an overpriced contract for something we don’t really need. Then comes the abduction of Jun Lozada and the syncrhonized cover-up afterwards. What does it show us, but a government not upholding the law?” he said.

“If we are to heal our country, we are in need of leaders who will not only safeguard the law, but make sure that these laws reflect values of an evolving society, not to stagnate it for vested interests,” he stressed.