Public trust builds the foundation on which the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) relief works became possible and successful, Vice President Leni Robredo said.

Robredo, a leader of the opposition, stressed that public trust is the reason for the “overwhelming” response of the private sector.

“What we saw in the OVP and Kaya Natin is that many want to extend help and the prerequisite for this outpouring of help is trust. As what I’ve always said, trust is our only currency,” she said in an online speech for the foundation’s webinar.

Kaya Natin for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership is a private partner of the OVP on its coronavirus relief efforts.

“And we worked hard towards building that trust every day that we are in office. All of our COViD-19 response initiative became possible because of the trust given to us by our private sector partners, donors, and volunteers. They trust the OVP. They trust Kaya Natin. They trust each other,”  she said.

Leaders should be willing to be held to account, Robredo pointed out, adding that public trust and good will are built “over years of telling the truth, showing compassion, providing proper public service.

Trust, she said, is not built overnight so leaders should work hard to earn that from the public.

In a government office with limited resources like hers, it’s public trust that empowered her office to do what it can for the people.

The Vice President highlighted the importance of engagement, bayanihan (community) efforts, and the recognition that “we are all in this together.”

The proof that public trust empowers public officials can be seen in the best-performing local government units who were able to respond quickly to the threats of the pandemic.

“The ones who are able to mobilize quickly and convince people to follow protocols are the same ones who have gained the trust of their constituencies. A good, trustworthy, service-oriented government is the most powerful point of convergence public health efforts,” Robredo said.

To build a stronger public health system, the Vice President stressed that “we should recognize, harness, and build on this interconnectedness.”

“We need to address the deep inequalities that have made this pandemic so much more virulent and deadly. We need to build more caring and inclusive communities. We need to build a better normal—a world that is fairer, safer, and more humane; a world where we tend to all, even, and especially, the last, the least, and the lost.”