I have no time for love, Loren says

She has no time for love. With a busy campaign schedule for the vice-presidency, Senator Loren Legarda said that her love life had to take a backseat. “Sa panahon ngayon, ay talagang wala (Right now, I really have no time for that)," Legarda told radio anchor Mike Enriquez in radio dzBB’s “Ikaw Na Ba? The Vice Presidential Interview" on Wednesday. The 50-year-old senator said she had no suitors in recent years and that she cannot prioritize her love life because of her duties as a senator. “Malaking sakripisyo maging lider ng bansa. Ang sariling kaligayahan sa personal na buhay ay dapat pangalawang tungkulin na lang (Being a leader is a big sacrifice. My own happiness in my personal life is only my second priority)," says the 50-year-old Legarda, the sole female vice presidential candidate in the May 10 automated polls. Asked why she still had no suitors, Legarda said “Baka takot sila sa akin (Maybe they are intimidated)," citing her credentials as a veteran broadcaster and as a two-term senator. In 2003, Legarda parted ways with her estranged husband, former Batangas governor Antonio Leviste, who was convicted of homicide in January 2009 for the killing of aide Rafael de las Alas. Legarda was also romantically linked to Sen. Edgardo Angara, which both parties have since denied. “The Angara issue? This is an old 2004 issue, which is 100 percent complete hogwash, recycled hogwash. Diyos ko, pambihira naman galing na nga ako sa matanda e pupulutin ako sa mas matanda," Legarda was quoted as saying in news reports in October 2008. Not entirely against RH bill but... On Wednesday’s interview, Legarda likewise said she was not entirely in favor of the controversial Reproductive Health bill, a measure strongly criticized by the Catholic Church because it promotes family planning and the use of contraceptives. The bill, titled An Act Providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development, has long been pending in Congress. The House of Representatives version proposes, among others, mandatory age-appropriate reproductive health education starting in Grade 5, and the purchase of contraceptives by state hospitals as part of its essential medicines and supplies. Its Senate version, Senate Bill 3122, was also up for interpellation but Congress adjourned session last February. For Legarda, policies promoted by the bill “no longer need to be legislated" and “funded by the government." Legarda also criticized the Department of Health’s distribution of free condoms in Manila last Valentines’ Day. “Sana namigay na lang ng bigas (I hope they gave rice instead)," said the senator. A proud Catholic While she said she was in favor of giving women the right to plan their families, Legarda said she was proud to be a Catholic. Showing Enriquez her rosary-bracelet, Legarda said, “I pray the rosary every night. Sometimes, I fall asleep already during the first mystery." Legarda added that she relied on praying when she nearly figured in a life-threatening accident in 2004, while she was onboard a helicopter in Nueva Ecija. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV