Sen. Loren Legarda defended her stand against an allegation that she has filed a bill in the Senate, amending a provision that has detrimental effects on the present benefits of public school teachers.
Legarda, who graced the 158th Foundation celebration of La Union last night, strongly condemned his political opponents, saying they were behind the smear campaign since she ran for vice president in 2004.
“There is no such bill, this was a black propaganda and demolition way back 2004,” she stressed.
The allegation stemmed from an alleged House Bill 579, which she supposedly authored, scrapping the vacation pay of public school teachers. She is, however, the author of the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, it was learned.
“No other senator or congressman or a human being in her right mind will do such a thing but rather increase the pay of teachers,” the Senator told newsmen, teachers, and students in an open forum held at the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, here, last night.
Legarda added that the allegations were text messages being passed around to teachers since 2004 and are still being asked if she goes around the country until now.
She added that there were, in fact, also text messages saying that she is set to file a bill abolishing retirement pensions of policemen, firemen and soldiers.
“The Magna Carta I authored was to give you additional salaries, in the entry level, the salary grade and promotion opportunities like improvement through attending conferences abroad,” she explained.
“It was all political gimmick,” Legarda ended. |
