The Duterte-Cayetano “Ronda-Serye” listening tour has extended its reach to Central Luzon on Tuesday, with vice presidential bet and Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano conducting a dialogue with ordinary workers in Pampanga to spread his message of real change.
The senator went around Barangay Dolores in San Fernando City and met with local lantern-makers and handicraft workers, who shared with him their daily concerns. Cayetano, the running mate of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, also presented to them his bold solutions to restore order in their lives.
Among the problems which cropped up during the dialogue was the lack of access to capital to help sustain the workers’ livelihood. “The lack of support being given to small businesses in the country forces our people to borrow money from loan sharks, which only puts them deeper in debt,” Cayetano noted.
The senator said that, if elected, he and Duterte will implement stronger measures that will provide better opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
Among these is the establishment of a public bank that will grant loans and other services to MSMEs, like Thailand’s SME Bank. “Ang pinapautang dapat ng gobyerno ay ang mga mahihirap, hindi lang ang mga mayayaman,” he said.
Cayetano also pledged to provide ordinary workers with a living wage. Citing data from the National Wages and Productivity Commission, he lamented that while Metro Manila’s daily minimum wage is only P9,620 monthly, the region’s estimated family living wage is P27, 510 per month.
“Saan sila kukuha ng dagdag na panggastos para sa mga kailangan nila? Napakalinaw na sobra na ang gulo at pahirap sa buhay ng mga tao. This is why they long for real change. We cannot achieve this without effecting bold solutions and swift action,” Cayetano said.
“Ang makakagawa lang ng ganitong uri ng pagbabago ay ang mga lider na may tapang at tibay ng loob para tapusin ang gulo. This is what I and Mayor Duterte will bring,” Cayetano ended.