Rachel Arenas: An Arenas in the political arena
March 4, 2007 | 12:00am
For Rachel Arenas, a better Philippines is one that is built by the people, with everyone sharing in the sweat, as well as the fruits, of their synergy of labor.
"This is our country," Rachel said. "We should all take part in building it. I see this very pressing need for all of us to get our act together and work together as we did in 1986, during the Edsa Revolution."
Being the daughter of Rosemarie "Baby" Arenas hasn’t been easy for Rachel, "the rumors and the criticisms did hurt then and they still do now," she said in an interview with Allure. "I cope by praying a lot and reminding myself that the world is round."
She works for the National Development Corp. (NDC), the holding company that manages the assets and oversees all government owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) and maps out and implements the country’s development plans.
As she sits for makeup, Rachel discusses her future plans: "I am running for a seat in the third congressional district of Pangasinan."
Arenas admitted that she wanted to enter politics "since I was very young, but I kept that (desire) to myself."
Arenas is determined to make a difference: "I give what I can, whatever help I can afford - but the people need so much more than handouts. They need jobs, access to education and good medical services. They need hope and they need to see their hopes come true. That’s a tall order."
After completing further studies in governance and public policy at Harvard two years ago, she came home from the United States and told her mother: "I’m moving to Pangasinan." Arenas said she will run under the Lakas-CMD banner, "though I am not a relative of the incumbent congressman."
"When I ask the people of my district what they need, the need is overwhelming," she added. "They need well-equipped hospitals. They need schools and teachers. They need livelihood."
She said: "The root cause of the people’s problems in my district is poverty. This poverty is made worse by the lack of access to quality education and healthcare facilities, by lack of access to gainful employment."
Her platform will focus first on education, "on building a model school in my district" and on dredging the sewage system of a school there that has spent the last three months under nearly five feet of stagnant flood water.
She also intends to upgrade the hospital in her district "because there is lack of medicines and well-equipped medical facilities (there)... the people there need to go to the nearest city or to Manila to get treatment and they suffer needlessly from conditions that are either preventable or treatable."
Considering that the politics of personality and personality-bashing are the norm, she comments: "If I can afford to ignore the politics of personality, I will. I will not waste my time or the people’s time with mud-slinging."
"This is our country," Rachel said. "We should all take part in building it. I see this very pressing need for all of us to get our act together and work together as we did in 1986, during the Edsa Revolution."
Being the daughter of Rosemarie "Baby" Arenas hasn’t been easy for Rachel, "the rumors and the criticisms did hurt then and they still do now," she said in an interview with Allure. "I cope by praying a lot and reminding myself that the world is round."
She works for the National Development Corp. (NDC), the holding company that manages the assets and oversees all government owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) and maps out and implements the country’s development plans.
As she sits for makeup, Rachel discusses her future plans: "I am running for a seat in the third congressional district of Pangasinan."
Arenas admitted that she wanted to enter politics "since I was very young, but I kept that (desire) to myself."
Arenas is determined to make a difference: "I give what I can, whatever help I can afford - but the people need so much more than handouts. They need jobs, access to education and good medical services. They need hope and they need to see their hopes come true. That’s a tall order."
After completing further studies in governance and public policy at Harvard two years ago, she came home from the United States and told her mother: "I’m moving to Pangasinan." Arenas said she will run under the Lakas-CMD banner, "though I am not a relative of the incumbent congressman."
"When I ask the people of my district what they need, the need is overwhelming," she added. "They need well-equipped hospitals. They need schools and teachers. They need livelihood."
She said: "The root cause of the people’s problems in my district is poverty. This poverty is made worse by the lack of access to quality education and healthcare facilities, by lack of access to gainful employment."
Her platform will focus first on education, "on building a model school in my district" and on dredging the sewage system of a school there that has spent the last three months under nearly five feet of stagnant flood water.
She also intends to upgrade the hospital in her district "because there is lack of medicines and well-equipped medical facilities (there)... the people there need to go to the nearest city or to Manila to get treatment and they suffer needlessly from conditions that are either preventable or treatable."
Considering that the politics of personality and personality-bashing are the norm, she comments: "If I can afford to ignore the politics of personality, I will. I will not waste my time or the people’s time with mud-slinging."
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