Alagang Angara

Senate leadership, with Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto joining the long list of political leaders and influential groups endorsing his candidacy.

Reelectionist Senator Sonny Angara said every barangay in the country should have a birthing facility to help reduce the risk of maternal and infant deaths.

“There should be a safe and sustainable birth center in every barangay to give mothers and their children access to health care providers without breaking the bank,” said the lawmaker, who is running under the platform “Alagang Angara.”

Reelectionist Senator Sonny Angara said the government should invest more in water infrastructure and implement practical local government measures like rainwater collection to help the country cope with drought and consequent water shortages during dry season and El Niño events.

Reelectionist Senator Sonny Angara said the Philippine National Police should make it a priority to protect government critics, including the Catholic priests who came forward to reveal that they had been receiving death threats after criticizing President Duterte’s war on drugs.

“If anyone should be protected, it should be the critics of the government. This is to show that we are a democracy and we value freedom of speech and expression,” Angara said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

Reelectionist Senator Sonny Angara expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) first vice chair and Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) chair Ghazali Jaafar, whom the lawmaker said was “determined to get the best deal for his constituents.”

The 75-year-old Jaafar reportedly died at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, three days after confinement in Metro Davao Medical and Research Center in Davao City due to heart problems. 

“He was a voice of reason and a voice for peace and will surely be missed,” Angara said.

Reelectionist Senator Sonny Angara wants government regulators and Congress to look into the cause of the water shortage affecting parts of Metro Manila and Rizal province even as he called for long-term solutions to meet the country’s growing water demand.

This as Angara expressed concern over the ongoing water service interruptions across the concession area of Manila Water, causing inconvenience to many businesses and residents.

Government should roll out an “El Niño action plan” in food-growing areas in the country before the drought caused by the weather phenomenon unleashes its full brunt on farmers who are also grappling with low prices of rice and coconut. 

LUCENA CITY—Reelectionist Senator Sonny Angara said the government should pay teachers more if it wants to improve the quality of education in Philippine public schools.

“Quality education begins with quality teachers. And to have good quality teachers in our public schools we need to pay them well,” Angara said, as he reiterated his appeal to the government to give teachers a reasonable pay increase. 

Aside from bigger and wider coverage of social pension, the country’s elderly population must be given employment opportunities to be productive even in their old age and keep them away from poverty, according to reelectionist Senator Sonny Angara.

Angara, a champion of the rights and welfare of senior citizens in the Senate, said many elderly people belonging to the age group 60 to 70 are still physically capable and are prepared to work and earn a living.

Reelectionist Senator Sonny Angara said the construction of the country’s first subway line and other key mass transit projects under the government’s centerpiece program “Build, Build, Build” should help restore public confidence in the local rail transit system, which has been under fire due to its poor and unreliable service.