Valenzuela

Valenzuela solon steals limelight in GMA-7’s first senatorial debate

February 2, 2025 Ryan Ponce Pacpaco 959 views

VALENZUELA Rep. Eric Martinez has shone the brightest during last Saturday’s “Tanong ng Bayan: The GMA Senatorial Face-Off 2025, especially with his practical position on how government can wisely use its budget to improve the country’s disaster management strategy.

Martinez was one of 12 senatorial aspirants in the May 12 midterm elections who appeared during the face-off. Debate moderator and GMA-7 executive Jessica Soho said more than 30 senatorial wannabes were invited to attend the event.

During the face-off, Martinez got loud claps from the audience when he said that the government should explore the use of modern technology in managing climate change and global warming as a strategy to lessen their impact on Philippine communities.

Martinez, who is gunning for a senatorial seat as an independent candidate, also said government should expand its disaster management initiatives, especially flood control projects, beyond Metro Manila.

On the question of how government can properly use its multi-billion-peso budget on disaster management, Martinez got the approving nod of the audience when he suggested that the government study Japan’s innovative disaster management technology which has made it resilient to disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons and floodings, and explore how the Philippines can adopt this in the local setting.

“As much as we try to solve the problem of floods, we have to look carefully, tingnan nating mabuti ang makabagong teknolohiya na meron ang Japan at ibang bansa na naging resilient sa mga disasters,” he said during the debate.

“We really have to look into technology and how we are going to use this to improve our disaster management strategies,” he underscored.

The lawmaker from Valenzuela also said the government should expand its disaster management projects to provinces outside of Metro Manila to ensure a whole-of-government approach to disaster mitigation.

Martinez said Metro Manila is already saturated. “Urbanization is real. Metro Manila has reached its point of saturation. We have to look beyond Metro Manila. Let us look towards Bulacan, Bataan, Pampanga, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and Rizal. No amount of flood control program in Metro Manila will work if we are not going to expand towards our neighboring provinces,” he stressed.

Martinez added: “That’s the way we can go. We have to decentralize Metro Manila for us to have a chance with global warming.”

Martinez, a three-term representative of Valenzuela City, is banking on his legislative experience in pursuing his Senate bid.

“Nagsimula ng paglilingkod bilang choir at pianista sa simbahan. Isang Katoliko. SK Kagawad, Barangay Kagawad, Konsehal ng Bayan, Vice Mayor at Congressman. Lehislatura, 33 years of experience at ang trabaho ng senador ay paggawa ng batas,” Martinez said in introducing himself at the start of the debate.

Aside from Martinez, other senatorial aspirants who joined the debate were singer and lawyer Jimmy Bondoc, former Makabayan party-list Rep. Teddy Casino, lawyer Vic Rodriguez, activist Danilo Ramos also of Makabayan, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, retired Marine Col. Ariel Querubin, labor rights leader Leody de Guzman, re-electionist Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, Luke Espiritu of the Partido Lakas ng Masa, former Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Heidi Mendoza, and lawyer Ernesto Arellano.

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