Providing more livelihood opportunities for women and promoting the welfare of children and the elderly are on the top priority legislative list of Team PNoy senatorial bet and former Las Piñas City Rep. Cynthia Villar.
In a statement, she vowed to continue her pro-women, children and senior citizens advocacies in the Senate.
''I want to share my experience in the local level and implement them in the national level. I want to pursue my advocacies in the Senate,'' Villar, called ''Misis Hanep Buhay,'' said.
Villar, who served a three-year term in the Lower House from 2001 to 2010, said she would continue implementing livelihood initiatives, believing that entrepreneurship is a key to creating jobs.
''My livelihood programs are geared towards helping people gain the skills to start their own small businesses,'' she said.
She set up more than 500 communities in Las Piñas and more than 100 all over the country.
During her three-year stint in the House, she led the passage of the following: Magna Carta of Women, anti-trafficking of women and children, anti-violence against women, protection of children in the workplace, juvenile justice system and two versions of the Senior Citizens Act (2003 and 2010).
In the 14th Congress, Villar chaired the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education from 2004 to 2010. Under her leadership, a total of 28 bills promoting access to quality education nationwide were passed, the University of the Philippines (UP) Charter of 2008 and the Philippine Normal University (PNU) Modernization Act of 2009.
She rallied behind the advanced systems of education such as the ladderized approach, distance learning and open-university system, which she said, ''give poor and working students the opportunity to continue their studies until they earn a college diploma.''

Source: Manila Bulletin - February 18, 2013