Vice President Leni Robredo called on the government, political parties, and Filipinos to unite amidst the threats of the pandemic and the political upheavals that sow discord and disagreements.
The country’s second-highest official delivered a 15-minute address dubbed “Ulat ni VP Leni” on Tuesday, July 27, a day after President Duterte’s three-hour State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“Iisang bansa tayong tumutungo sa iisang kinabukasan, kaya nga ang sangandaang kaharap natin: Puwede tayong patuloy na maipit sa hidwaan. O puwede tayong makinig at magbukas ng puso sa isa't isa. Puwede tayong magkaisa (We are one nation marching towards a single future, and we have a choice that lies before us: We can keep on fighting each other, or we can listen and open up our hearts to one another. We can unite),” she said.
Robredo pointed out that the government is not only responsible for crafting policies, but they also have another role: “Ang itutok tayo sa iisang direksyon; ang ipaalala sa atin na anuman ang mga di-pagkakasundo, iisang bayan tayo (But aside from laying down policies, we know that government has another very important responsibility: To orient us towards a single direction; to remind us that whatever our disagreements, we are ultimately one nation).”
“Tungkulin ng gobyerno, lalo na sa panahon ng krisis, na magpunla ng pagkakaisa (The mission of government, especially in times of crisis, is to cultivate unity),” she added.
READ: COVID-19 response should have ’no political colors,’ says Robredo
She warned Filipinos against divisiveness, which she said was fabricated by the few who seek to slow the country’s journey.
“Ituring ang kaharap hindi bilang kasapi ng kung aling kampo—pero bilang kapatid, bilang kaanak, bilang kapwa Pilipino (Let’s treat those we meet not as members of one camp or another – but as brothers and sisters, as family, as fellow Filipinos),” the vice president said.
Because “we are all interconnected,” Robredo said that the only way to overcome the crisis is to act as one.
“Buong-buo ang paniniwala ko: Mulat ang Pilipino sa katotohanang ito. Buong-buo ang tiwala kong patuloy tayong kikilos upang isabuhay ito. Buong-buo pa rin ang tiwala ko sa sambayanang Pilipino (My faith remains steadfast: The Filipino knows and understands this truth. I remain faithful that we will keep striving to live out this truth. My faith in the Filipino people remains wholehearted and intact).”
But even as she called for unity, Robredo hit those who look for someone to blame whenever there is a problem, as well as those who use internet trolls to attack critics of the administration.
READ: Robredo deplores gov't-backed trolls
“Tayo ang lakas ng isa't isa, pero parang tayo palagi ang pinag-aaway—tayo ang hinahati sa tribo, ayon sa kung saang isla o probinsya ka lumaki, kung paano mo iniuumang ang kamao mo, kung sino ang sinuportahan mo noong nakaraang halalan (We are one another’s strength, but it seems as if we’re always being pitted against each other –always being split into tribes, according to which island or province we grew up in, which gesture we make with our fists, or who we supported in the last elections),” she said.
This blame-game has to stop, Robredo stressed, because everyone suffers the same and everybody gets stalled on the road to progress.
“Ang totoo: Hindi itinatanong ng pandemya kung sa aling grupo tayo nabibilang, o sa kung aling partido tayo may membership card (The truth is that the pandemic doesn’t ask which group we belong to, or which political party appears on our membership cards).”