THE chairperson of Patrol Partylist (Public Safety Alliance for Transformation and Rule of Law) in the Third District of Pampanga will be running for board member in the upcoming May 11, 2022 elections.
Raquel “Ate Kay” Pineda, co-founder and chairperson of Patrol Partylist, has thrown her hat in the political arena, eyeing one of the three seats at the Provincial Board in the third district of the province covering the towns of Arayat, Sta. Ana, Mexico, Bacolor and City of San Fernando.
Pineda, who is in the real estate business for 28 years, was also the president of the Rotary Club of Central Pampanga, Creba, El Circulo Fernandino, PTA of Brightwoods International school and representative of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) for infrastructure and development.
In an exclusive interview with SunStar Pampanga over the weekend, Pineda said she has already visited 95 of the 143 barangays in the third district since she started her barangay consultation last year.
Pineda said despite the ongoing pandemic, she constantly visits various barangays and met with barangay officials and force multipliers while donating face shields, face masks, PPEs and alcohol.
“I believe in leadership by example. You cannot be a good and effective leader if you do not know the needs of the people, especially in the grassroots. That is why even at the height of the pandemic, we at Patrol Partylist have never stop providing the much needed assistance to our barangay leaders, kagawads, SKs, tanods and common folks,” Pineda said.
She said that aside from donating PPEs, she has also provided hundreds of wheelchairs to senior citizens and PWDs not only in her home town of Mexico but also in other towns and city in the said district.
Through Pineda’s initiative, hundreds of scholarship grants were given to poor but deserving students coming from different towns.
“Education is one of my advocacies. If given a chance to serve the public, I will prioritize free education by making sure one member of the family will have good education. Kung makakapag aral ang isang miyembro ng pamilya, makakasiguro sila na hindi sila magugutom, dahil magkakaroon sila ng magandang kinabukasan at may panlaban sila sa kahirapan,” Pineda said.
She said that another one of her advocacies is health, adding that she has already assisted 200 dialysis patients get free medical treatment and medical assistance at the Jose B. Lingad Regional Hospital in the City of San Fernando.
Pineda said Patrol Partylist and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have already given financial assistance or “ayuda” to 40,000 individuals affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The beneficiaries came from the four towns and one city in the third district of Pampanga.
When asked why she wants to run for board member, Pineda said that she will be the “voice of the people” in the third district of the province.
“I will be the people's voice in the Provincial Board. I will work to make sure that the much needed laws and legislation will be passed in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Hindi lang tayo gagawa ng mga ordinansa na makakatulong sa atin mga kapwa Kapampangan, tayo ay bumababa sa mga tao upang malaman at ma-aksyonan and kanilang mga pangagailangan, kung tayo ay papalarin maupo sa SP,” Pineda said.
Pineda also thanked President Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Bong Go, Representative Jorge Bustos and the DSWD for recently providing food assistance to 3,000 indigent residents of Mexico town who were affected by the pandemic. (Chris Navarro)