After three productive terms in the House of Representatives, Laguna 3rd District Rep. Sol Aragones will campaign to take “Alagang Sol” from her district to the rest of Laguna as she hopes to continue serving her kababayan in the province as its next governor.
The veteran legislator on Monday filed her certificate of candidacy for governor after attending a mass in Calamba Cathedral officiated by Monsignor Mar Castillo. She was accompanied by running mate and vice gubernatorial candidate Jorge “Jerico” Ejercito and his parents, former Laguna Governor ER Ejercito and Pagsanjan Vice-Mayor Maita Ejercito.
Also with them were members of their slate. Candidates for the Laguna provincial board running under Aragones and Ejercito are Gigi Alcasid, Abi Alonte, Ann-Ann Cardema, Tutti Caringal, Danzel Fernandez, and RR Orillaza.
The respected lawmaker instrumental in the passage of the National ID law vowed to do in the Laguna provincial capitol what she had done in close to a decade at the Batasang Pambansa: uplift the welfare of the people of Laguna
“Iba ang opisina nguni’t pareho ang adhikain: iangat ang buhay ng taga Laguna.”
“Iba ang opisina nguni’t pareho ang adhikain: iangat ang buhay ng taga Laguna. Magbabago ang posisyon nguni’t hindi magbabago ang layunin: tugunan ang pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan,” said Aragones, who was born in San Pablo, Laguna and studied in the province from grade school up to college, where she graduated with a degree in Development Communication from University of the Philippines-Los Baños.
“Magbabago ang posisyon nguni’t hindi magbabago ang layunin: tugunan ang pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan.”
According to Aragones, Laguna voters could be assured that under “Alagang Aragones-Ejercito,” the urgent needs of the country’s third most populous province would be addressed. The legislator stressed that the five priority areas she would focus on as governor are health, agriculture, tourism, education, and senior citizens welfare.
“Our province is home to over 3.3 million people, and we only have one provincial tertiary hospital. Nakita natin sa pandemic na hindi talaga uubra ang kakulangan ng mga medical facilities tulad nito sa probinsya,” said the solon, who is running with the support of Calamba Mayor Timmy Chipeco and his family.
“We need more tertiary hospitals, and we need to upgrade the facilities and equipent of our lone provincial tertiary hospital so that it can provide services like dialysis,” explained Aragones, who put up Laguna’s first dialysis center in San Pablo––the only facility in Region 4.
The former broadcast journalist, who earned awards for her work in news programs like TV Patrol, Bandila, Salamat Dok, Kalye, pointed out that aside from improving health services in the province, she would invest in education by expanding scholarship programs for Laguna youth; stimulate the local economy by extending support to Laguna farmers and providing incentives to establish Laguna as the Silicon Valley of the Philippines; and improve the social pension program for Laguna’s senior citizens.
Particularly important to Aragones, who is currently the Chair of the House Committee on Tourism, is the need to step up the tourism promotion efforts of the province in order for it to maximize Laguna’s potential as a tourist destination.
