Circled in a group, some high school students sat on the floor for a meeting on newswriting while two others played a guitar and piano at the music room.

They were among the youth members using some of the facilities at a youth center in Anilao, a 4th class municipality in the northern part of Iloilo.

The center is a brainchild of the Anilao municipal government through Mayor Nathalie Ann Debuque who called it a “clubhouse” for the youth.

It is one of the local projects funded by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under its Bridging Leadership Program, an initiative that strives to support and empower local leaders.

No less than Vice President Leni Robredo, who had praised the local government in building the center, toured the facility during the second day of her visit in Iloilo.

“Ang laking bagay for a small town such as Anilao to have this. It is a fourth class municipality pero magkakaroon ng bata dito ng access sa mga gamit (but the children here will have access to the equipment),” she said via Facebook Live Tuesday, March 16.

“Tingin namin hindi nasasayang ang tulong natin (I think our assistance did not go to waste),” Robredo added. “Nahaharness niya iyong creativity saka innovativeness ng mga kabataan (It harnesses the creativity and innovativeness of the youth).”

The center, currently open for free, has rooms fully equipped with computers, board games, art materials, and books for the Anilaoan youth. Its set-up is primarily designed for recreational activities.

Moreover, it could also serve as an alternative learning space for students while face-to-face classes are still not allowed by the Department of Education (DepEd).

Debuque said they received P2 million from the OVP to fund the equipment at the Anilao Youth Center.

Visit to farmers

Meanwhile, Robredo also visited the Pamuringao Proper, Pamuringao Garrido, Bacan & Morobuan (PAPABACAMO) Farmers Association and the Oton Farmers Producers Cooperative prior to her trip to Anilao town.

The PAPABACAMO is a group of farmers in Cabatuan, Iloilo who received assistance from her office to buy farming equipment.

OVP’s livelihood grant, coursed through the local government, purchased two four-wheel tractors and a poly plow for easier and faster tilling of land, a statement from Robredo’s office said.

The purchase is in line with the group’s mechanization project.

“During the visit, farmers told VP Leni about how her office’s assistance has helped ease their workload, and provide additional income for the group by making such equipment available for rent.”

In the town of Oton, Robredo met with the members of the Oton Farmers Producers Cooperative, who benefited from the OVP’s effort to link the LGU to Jollibee Group Foundation under the Angat Buhay program.

“LGU-Oton has since completed the foundation’s Farmer Entrepreneurship Program, and the farmers have found an additional source of income through diversified farming. They are currently supplying spring onions, tanglad, and kangkong to different institutional buyers in Iloilo City,” the statement from the OVP said.

The OVP’s support to farmers is one of Robredo’s initiatives in Iloilo province.