Agusan del Norte Representative Lawrence Fortun said presidential candidate Leni Robredo stands out to be “our best chance at economic and public health recovery out of the pandemic and its devastating impact.”
Way ahead of the scheduled “People’s Rally” in Butuan City on March 9, Agusan del Norte Representative Lawrence Fortun, a member of the House Committee on Human Rights, formally endorsed the tandem of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan for the May 9 presidential elections.
Fortun himself will welcome Robredo and her team at the “People’s Rally” scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at Butuan City’s Guingona Park.
“BAKIT SI LENI? Simple lang. Nakasama namin siya sa 16th Congress (2013-2016) when we were first-term members of the House of Representatives. I was able to observe her up close and saw her modesty and humility, her deep love for our country, the goodness of her heart and how hard she worked,” Fortun said in a press statement Monday (March 7).
Fortun recalled Robredo as a hardworking solon who participates “actively and adeptly” in committee works and plenary sessions during the time she represented the 3rd district of Camarines Sur.
“Nagtratrabaho [siya] mula umaga hanggang gabi. Walang fanfare, walang grandstand. Trabaho lang, ngunit napapansin because of the significance of her legislation and the knowledge and competence she demonstrated in pushing for these measures,” he stressed.
“She was like no neophyte because she came to meetings and sessions prepared and ready to exchange ideas, and debate if deliberations required,” the solon added.
“Her proposed measures on people participation and empowerment, transparency and accountability, environment and economy all revealed a leader with a firm grasp of the country’s pressing issues and the most important and urgent reforms that need to be instituted to address these issues.”
‘Palaban na noon pa man’
Fortun also remembered Robredo for her efforts to abolish the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), commonly known as “pork barrel,” during the Napoles scam in which dozens of legislators were accused of conspiring with Janet Lim-Napoles to pocket the billions of pesos allocated to them for community development.
“Kasama namin siya sa House Committee on Good Government noong pinaimbestigahan namin ang mga anomalya ng National Irrigation Administration (NIA) sa CARAGA region. That investigation caught the attention of Malacañang which ordered a separate investigation that resulted in the filing of cases against about 30 officials of NIA,” he recalled.
“Personal kong nakita ang kanyang commitment sa pakikibaka laban sa pang-aabuso at korapsyon,” Fortun added.“Kaya kahit anong paninira na ang ipukol kay VP Leni, hindi ako kailanman naniwala dahil nakilala ko siya, nakita ko siya, naramdaman ko siya.”
Best choice for president
“Amidst all proliferation of lies and deceit in all forms of media, those of us who know the mistakes of the past should step up and help in any way we can to see to it that the coming elections result in choices anchored on truth and justice, lest we fall into the quagmire of repeating the dark moments of our history,” Fortun stressed.
“Vice President Leni Robredo is a lawyer, an economist, a grassroots community worker, who is not an aspiring pretender, not a new learner, but a battle-tested leader and public servant.Among all candidates, Leni Robredo stands out to be our best chance at economic and public health recovery out of the pandemic and its devastating impact,” he said.
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