Sen. Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla promised to bring farm-to-market roads and additional rights for Mangyans, after visiting them in Barangay Panaytayan in Mansalay, Mindoro Oriental on Monday.
In his speech before the Mangyans, Padilla – who thanked them for helping him top the polls in Mindoro in 2022 – vowed to work with Vice Governor Ejay Falcon to make this a reality.
“Nakita naming ano dapat ang unahin dito sa Mindoro at ang kailangan diyan magkaroon ayo ng farm-to-market roads. Kailangan magkaroon kayo ng kalsada ninyo sa sitio ninyo (We saw that the people here need farm-to-market roads. You need them in your sitio),” he said.
“At yan po ang isang bagay na maipapangako ko sa inyo sapagka’t ang ating mahal na Pangulong Bongbong Marcos, yan din ang kanyang gusto, magkaroon ng kalsada ang nasa malayong lugar (This is something I can promise you because President Bongbong Marcos also wants to have roads in remote areas),” he added.
Padilla likewise promised to fight for the rights of the Mangyans and other Indigenous Peoples (IPs) particularly in the use of their ancestral lands.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs lamented the IPs are not getting what is due them for the use of their ancestral lands.
“Ang nangyari kasi yumayaman sa lupa ninyo, hindi kayo. Yumayaman ang ibang tao. At yan tandaan ninyo katulad ng sinabi ni Vice Gov, hindi kami mananahimik at ipaglalaban namin (What is happening is that other people are profiting from the use of the land, and not you. Like what the vice governor said, we will not keep silent. We will fight for you),” he said.
Padilla visited Mindoro to take part in activities including registration, dental and medical missions for the Mangyans.
