Why am I voting Toots Ople for Senator

For the first name on my list, I’m voting for my aunt, Susan “Toots” Ople, who’s running for the Senate under the Nacionalista Party. I’m not voting for her just because we’re related. In fact, my personal friends know that I openly oppose the idea of having more Oples run for government positions especially if they’re not really qualified or if they don’t have the heart for service. That’s not the case with Tita Toots. Here we have a person who is genuinely passionate about helping local and overseas Filipino workers. Combine that with her track record and you have an upcoming phenomenal public servant.

Her Track Record
She’s not just running because she’s an “Ople”. Tita Toots has been working with the government for more than 16 years, including a stint as Undersecretary for the Department of Labor. Her educational background is also quite something else. She holds a master’s degree (Public Administration) from the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University. She was even given an additional award for Excellence in Communication.

After my grandfather passed away, one of my auntie’s first projects was to put up the Blas F. Ople Policy and Training Institute. This NGO’s main goal was to continue the legacy of my grandfather whose heart was really for the Filipino worker (domestic and abroad). Through the Ople Center, Tita Toots was able to bring home countless oppressed Filipinos which included trafficked victims in Syria and the 137 bus drivers who were stranded in Dubai due to illegal operations of recruitment agencies. For training, the OPLE Center has provided FREE computer literacy programs to OFWs and their families. This is in cooperation with OWWA and Microsoft.

Her track record is solid. Her heart is in the right place. She deserves your vote.

Her Platform
Let me just quote this from her official website:

For Labor:
- OWWA reform: 6 of the 12 members of OWWA’s Board of Directors must be bona fide OFWs, because they are the ones who can genuinely represent the needs of their sector.
- Stop the abuse of contractual workers: Make it more difficult for companies to fire employees indiscriminately at the end of their 6 month contract, to make sure workers who are industrious don’t get fired just because their employer doesn’t want to pay for additional benefits.
- Beef up local employment: Study trends in employment and come up with a 6 to 10 year national employment strategic plan. This employment plan should not have a bias for what jobs will be in demand overseas; rather, it should also give equal attention to local industries that when developed would employ a lot of people (i.e. creative industries).

For the Youth:
- Study Now, Pay Later: Re-introduce and strengthen the Study Now, Pay Later program, where students can borrow money from the government for their studies, and pay it back once they already start working.
- Inclusion of Financial Literacy in HS and College Curriculums: high school and college students, no matter what course, should be taught the basics of saving and investing. They should know how to open a bank account, what a time deposit is, how to buy shares from public companies, and the like. This is practical education that will serve them well once they start earning their own money.

A vote for Ople in the upcoming elections is a vote for someone who fight for the rights of the everyday Filipino worker. We need that now more than ever because the government really isn’t handling the OFW situation properly. One of the programs that my Auntie wants to push is a re-integration program by boosting local employment. Let’s give our brothers and sisters a reason to go home, and stay home as well.

On a more personal note, I’ve known Tita Toots for years. I can honestly say that she is too kind for her own good, hahaha! She sacrifices too much even for people she doesn’t even know. She has the right motive and with an excellent track record I see no reason why we shouldn’t support her.

OPLE SA SENADO!

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