By Raymund Antonio
For 2020, Vice President Leni Robredo’s flagship anti-poverty program, Angat Buhay, would continue to assist more Filipinos in what she called “laylayan” or margins of society.
Vice President Leni Robredo (VP LENI ROBREDO / FACEBOOK / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Vice Presidential spokesman Barry Gutierrez said they hoped to get more partners from the private sector to respond to the needs of the people from disadvantaged communities.
“Angat Buhay obviously will always be there. Hopefully, the opportunity that was given to her will also pave the way for more partnerships,” Gutierrez, who is also a legal adviser to Robredo, said.
Gutierrez lamented the limited funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), but this won’t stop them from helping the people in need across the country.
“We have had more than 300 partners working with her in Angat Buhay. Hopefully, mas dadami iyon and mas madaming communities na maaabot,” the former Akbayan representative said.
The OVP is relying on private partnerships here and abroad to implement pro-poor projects. Angat Buhay links private companies, organizations, and individuals with the marginalized sector.
Such assistance included the construction of classrooms and health care centers, capital funds for local farmers, housing units, motorized boats, school supplies, medicines, financial training, and other forms of livelihood.
Among the localities that the Vice President had brought her anti-poverty program in 2019 were South Cotabato, Camarines Sur, Occidental Mindoro, Iloilo, Lanao del Sur, and Bukidnon.
As of October 2019, Robredo’s office has partnered with more than 328 private organizations in mobilizing P353 million worth of resources for the benefit of around 224,336 Filipino families.
Gutierrez earlier attributed the lady official’s "quiet yet committed efforts" to the rise of her trust and approval ratings in the latest Pulse Asia survey. Robredo has been implementing Angat Buhay for more than three years now.
“This is affirmation that her quiet yet committed efforts on behalf of our countrymen continue to bear fruit more than halfway into her term as VP,” he said.
“And this will serve as further encouragement to work even harder for the lives, welfare, and rights of every Filipino family, especially the underprivileged and marginalized,” he added.