Rural development, potable water, better healthcare spurs businessman to seek House seat

The Manila Times

Rural development, potable water, better healthcare spurs businessman to seek House seat  Advocating for rural development, access to potable water, and improved healthcare, Beaver Lopez, the second nominee of Partido ng Bagong Pilipino, outlines his reasons for seeking a congressional seat. In an interview with local media in Cebu City on March 10, 2025, Lopez emphasized that these priorities would be implemented at the barangay level if his party could secure seats at the House of Representatives. Lopez, 57, a businessman, said his decision to enter politics was inspired by his late father, Philippine Ambassador Manolo Lopez.  He is a member of the influential Lopez clan behind ABS-CBN.  VIDEO BY KAISER JAN FUENTES  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion   Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  Soundcloud: https://tmt.ph/soundcloud   #TheManilaTimes #tmtnews

Transcript

00:00We want to bring the national development to the barangay level.

00:04The first one is barangay development.

00:07Focusing on the barangays in the far-flung places.

00:13Barangays sa mga layo, barangays sa mga mahihirap.

00:17Those who are not receiving anything from the national government.

00:22So in our travels, in our visits across the country,

00:28we've been able to see for ourselves yung mga malalai barangay.

00:32Kung sa east naman siya, or sa mga innerlands,

00:36you will see how difficult life is for a barangay or communities in the far-flung.

00:43So that's why we're focusing on barangay development.

00:46And in my case, I'm focusing on two advocacies.

00:51Number one is water.

00:55They say, why water? I think all of us know my programs in Philippine.

00:58The issue today is there's no clean drinking water.

01:01No potable water.

01:03And if you look at the statistics, the data that's provided to us,

01:0853% of the country has, 53% of the Philippine households does not have safe drinking water.

01:18That's almost half of our income.

01:21That's why we said we have to find a way to fix the problem for water.

01:29Marami kasi yung water providers, pero hindi natin na bakit.

01:33Huli mo na-deliver yung mga commitments.

01:36Huli mo tawag yung mga bulk water suppliers. None.

01:39So once we win, you all unite,

01:43we intend to study.

01:45We bring in experts to find out, ano problema?

01:51Why is it the problem is so big?

01:54And water is basic.

01:56Why can't even a regular person drink water?

02:02So we're going to do that.

02:04Although meron kaming short-term solution.

02:07We have a filtration system that we're bringing to the far-flung barangays.

02:12So yan, nagawa namin, sinasample namin yung filtration.

02:18We get water from the faucet, hindi namin ang dumi,

02:21and we drink it in front of the community.

02:26But more than that, we really want to look for a permanent solution.

02:30So that's water.

02:32Second is affordable healthcare.

02:37The thing, nakikita namin pag-ikot is barangay health centers.

02:42Marami barangay health centers, pero walang laman.

02:46Diba?

02:47Mga siyempre isang sa barangay,

02:51doon palang magwe-awake yung barangay health center maghahanap ng gumot,

02:56or gahanap ng anong kailangan para matreat yung sugat o yung injury.

03:03Not only that.

03:05Gusto namin proactive.

03:06But we also want to see how we can bring down yung affordability ng gumot.

03:11Especially sa mga seniors.

03:13Ano yung health mga seniors?

03:15Affordable maintenance.

03:17I think that's one formula, diba?

03:20Maintenance.

03:21Wala naman yung benefit ko sa failed health maintenance,

03:24or other medical, even sa mga health insurance sa mga private companies.

03:30We don't see anything about maintenance.

03:33More preventive.

03:35So we want to find ways to bring down cost of medicines.

03:39I feel like that's part of the universal.

03:43Parti ko sa Bago Pilipino,

03:45we believe that our advocacy is really to help communities,

03:53to help people in the powerful communities.

03:57And by doing that, it can uplift the communities,

04:02re-empower the communities,

04:04re-empower the people in the communities to be self-sufficient.

04:08Not to be always just waiting for financial assistance or dole-outs.

04:15If that happens, the communities, they become lazy.

04:20Ayin na magtrabaho, itinteng na lang ayuda.

04:23We don't want that.

04:24We want to empower them.

04:25We want them to be able to work, do some business.

04:30That's why we feel that fixing the basic issues of water,

04:34fixing the basic issues of health, healthcare,

04:38that at least will give them a little more advantage

04:43in being able to do more things,

04:45rather than just waiting for assistance.

04:55For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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