"We should move beyond the politics of hate"
- Angara

BAGUIO CITY - Senator Edgardo J. Angara today called on all senatorial candidates to pattern their debate after the Baguio weather which is temperate and rational, and minus the fire-and-brimstone bitterness which, he added, can only devalue the political discussion in the current campaign.

"We should move beyond the politics of hate and bitterness and venture into a temperate and sensible discussion of vital political and economic issues, very much like the beautiful weather of Baguio City," Angara said in a political rally at the country's Summer Capital.

Angara said that the political debates should now focus on dominant issues of the new millennium such as the following:

1. Energy and the search for alternatives to oil
2. International trade and its impact on Philippine agriculture and industry
3. The new face of global terror
4. The global effort against corruption
5. Information technology and its impact on nations and citizens across the globe
6. Enhancing competitiveness in a Knowledge Society

Angara said senatorial candidates, who are expected to introduce legislation that will respond to the social, economic and political needs of the millennium, should boldly move into these areas of discussion "not only to enrich the body politics but also to give Filipinos something to hope for with the new Congress that would convene after the May election."

Angara said he has started fusing his agenda with these new realities, starting with an effort to create a Congressional Commission which would be tasked with finding ways to enhance the lagging competitiveness of the country.

He also noted the need for the country's labor laws to duly respond to the changing work hours and the type of jobs that now dominate the labor market. He cited contact center and outsourcing jobs, which employ people on a 7/24 basis, he added.

"The economic momentum put in place by President Arroyo's programs has to be complemented by a relevant and high-minded legislation," said Angara.

Angara said that the traditional stuff of politics, including name-calling, muckraking and gutter-level attacks are now being rendered irrelevant by the pressure to perform high-caliber legislation that would respond to the need of the times.

Angara has demonstrated exemplary moderation in his years in politics.

During the Ramos presidency, Angara, then the opposition leader and senate president, reached out to the administration and this unity led to the passage of several laws that jump-started the economy and reformed the banking and energy sectors.