Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial candidate Makati City Mayor Abby Binay has admitted to getting "frustrated" by certain national laws that lack the perspective and inputs of local government officials.

Binay had this to say during her recent visit to the City Hall of Santo Tomas in Batangas, where she was warmly welcomed by residents and local officials led by Mayor Arth Jhun Aguilar and Vice Mayor Catherine Jaurigue-Perez.

She said she was running for senator mainly because of her frustration with national laws enacted without prior consultation with local governments, resulting in poor and inefficient implementation.

“Kapag mayor ka, nakikita mo yung mga batas na ipinapasa nila na nakaka-frustrate dahil hindi kinukonsulta yung mga local government...Hindi nila naiintindihan kung saan tayo nanggagaling,” Binay said.

(If you're a mayor, you get frustrated by all the laws that they pass without consultation from the local government...they don't understand where we are coming from.)

The lady mayor cited the Solo Parent Act as one such example, as the law has imposed on local government units (LGUs) the burden of funding the monthly allowance for solo parents. 

“May mga munisipyo at mga lungsod na hindi kaya yung pagbibigay ng allowance para sa solo parents...hindi parehas. Hindi po masyadong pinag-isipan,” she said.

(There are towns and cities that are incapable of providing allowance to solo parents...it's not a level playing field. Not much thought was put into it.)

Binay says that having the perspective of a local chief executive will give her the leverage to spearhead the legislation of policies that are responsive and attuned to the varying situations of LGUs.

She also reiterated amendments to the Local Government Code that she will push if elected senator, to promote the genuine empowerment of local government units in the country. These include regular salaries, GSIS and PAGIBIG coverage for barangay officials.

She also reiterated her advocacies for free maintenance medicines especially for senior citizens, better education system with greater focus on the preschool level, and tax exemption of overtime pay and bonuses for better take home pay of workers.