Olongapo City — Former senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan was warmly welcomed by Olongapo residents during a campaign rally staged by mayoral candidate and renowned businessman Arnold Vegafria held here Sunday evening.
In his reelection bid for the Senate, Honasan hopes that the Filipino people will see the wealth of experience he offers. “In my case I put my records in public service before our people.”
Honasan, who served the public – 17 years as a soldier, 21 years as senator and two years as secretary of the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DITC), said his platform focuses on security, information and data digitization, and food security.
“Ang plataporma natin ay seguridad. Kasiguruhan na sana naman bawat pamilya ay kumakain ng tatlong beses sa isang araw, food, shelter, health and education. Sana naman ligtas sa lansangan, ligtas sa krimen, at sa droga. Syempre ang ugat noon ay pagmamahalan sa pamilya pagtutulungan sa komunidad, inclusive growth for the nation,” he explained.
“So anong susi dyan sa seguridad at ang pamamaraan para sa seguridad ay data. Information; digitize everything. Bakit importante iyong digitization, dati manual tayo ngayon, digitize. Isang pindot nandyan iyong data. Mas mabilis ang intervention at mas exact. Mas precise.”
“The data tells us na may nahihirapan pa, may nagugutom pa, may wala pang bahay, may victim pa ng crime may hindi nakapag-aral ang mga anak, pag magpapagamot pupunta sa barangay walang gamot. Mga ganitong basic problems gusto kong balikan at asikasuhin.
Honasan said he is planning to retire but opted to come back to continue what he started. “I feel if the Filipino people will entrust me with another mandate, I think I will make it this time,” he added.
Among the laws Honasan pushed for in his previous terms revolved around land use, disaster risk reduction management, firearms and export, freedom of information, national peace policy, and clean air. (Malou Dungog)
