Despite the harsh criticisms and tirades from various quarters, Vice President Leni Robredo continues to extend assistance to communities affected by the typhoons which recently hit the country.
In a Twitter post Friday morning, she confirmed an early visit to some areas devastated by typhoons to continue the relief operations under the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
“We’re back in Catanduanes this morning,” Robredo said. “Visiting 4 of the hardest hit communities in the province today and doing relief ops,” she added.
Aside from Baras town, Robredo also went to Barangay Puraran which is popular for being a surfer’s paradise. “Some people here earn from tourism. But destruction of inns, pension houses is almost 100%. Others earn from abaca production but mountains are almost completely inundated,” she observed.
Robredo also went to went to Barangay Bote in Bato, Catanduanes, where Super-typhoon “Rolly” made its first landfall. “Devastation is overwhelming,” she said. “We were not able to access this during our first visit because roads were not yet passable,” she added. Despite this, she noted that it was “so touching” to see people who were still in “high spirits.”
On Thursday, Nov. 19, Robredo also visited the municipality of Caramoan in Camarines Sur in line with OVP’s continued efforts to reach areas around Bicol that were hard-hit by the recent typhoons “Rolly” and “Ulysses.”
Robredo went to Barangay Guijalo and Paniman to see first-hand the damage caused by the typhoons and to bring relief assistance from her office. She also returned to Sitio Lipata in Barangay Gogon, one of the most remote communities in town, which could be reached by a long boat ride.
Robredo said that many of the houses “were toppled down along with the facilities of the school that caters to the children in the area.” The OVP also brought relief assistance to the affected families and committed to give housing materials to help them rebuild their homes.
In a televised speech on Tuesday night, Robredo was at the receiving end of President Duterte’s harsh and seemingly offensive criticisms. She drew the President’s ire for supposedly asking his whereabouts during the onslaught of Ulysses, an act the Vice President denied.
In televised public briefing on Thursday, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that Robredo and her daughters’ tweets are among the reasons the President lashed out at the VP. However, a quick review of their tweets would show that none of the posts mentioned Duterte.
Robredo was also heavily criticized by other supporters of the President.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo had earlier accused her of boarding a military aircraft to deliver relief items in Catanduanes. Robredo’s camp called him out and Panelo later admitted he was fed with “incorrect” information.