Senator Edgardo Angara has proposed to undertake two projects in Oriental Negros for his next term in the Senate.

At a press conference at the Dumaguete City Press Club grounds Saturday, Angara said he is willing to allocate part of his pork barrel funds to finance a school feeding and school building programs. The feeding program will be done in partnership with his home province of Aurora, where he has the same ongoing project for elementary school children, and with the Silliman University Nutrition and Dietetics Department.

For the school building, Angara said he will undertake the cost of one school building for every two buildings to be built by the government.

"It's build two-get one free," Angara promised outgoing Gov. George Arnaiz and Dumaguete Mayor Agustin Perdices.

Angara was in Dumaguete and Oriental Negros over the weekend to campaign for himself and his UNITY Team ticket.

He told the press that his joining the administration ticket after he was spurned by the Genuine Opposition meant that, it is time for politicians to work together for the good of the country, especially at this time when there are signs of economic growth.

He added that even though politicians have to fight it out during elections, they can continue to work together at other times. He said this partnership between the politicians and the administration was the reason for the economic gains made during the administration of former President Fidel Ramos. He also said that the decision of the GO not to include him in the opposition ticket was a very big mistake on its part. "They have been unable to mount two rallies due to lack of people." He said his party, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, is the only party in the opposition which has the largest membership and network throughout the country.

Angara also justified his support for the bill converting 12 towns into cities even though they did not meet the standards for cityhood under the present law.

"Their applications were already pending and we had no choice but to act on them," Angara said. Noting that the conversion of towns could mean lesser Internal Revenue Allotment for cities, the Senator said the solution was not to stop converting more town into cities but to change the formula for allocating the IRA.

"The more cities we have, the better because these cities would have their own charter and would be more responsive to their constituents."

He also said that the League of Cities will sponsor the Unity Ticket rally on Tuesday, where they are expected to endorse all candidates.*AP

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