Expect Vice President Leni Robredo to be on the ground to coordinate and facilitate disaster relief and recovery operations whenever there’s a typhoon battering the country under her presidency.
“Ako (Me, I’ll) definitely very hands on ako. At hindi lang 'yung pupunta ako para silipin. Ako, alam ito ng mga (And I’m not only going there to look around. Me, this is known to my) constituents ko sa distrito, na (in the district that) before, during, and after every sakuna, nandun ako (disaster, I’m there),” Robredo said in a media interview on Thursday, Dec. 16 in Pasay City.
“Nandun ako (I am there) for as long as I'm needed, hindi 'yung parang nagpakita lang ako (it’s not like I’m just going there to be seen),” she added.
The Vice President was at the Mall of Asia to check on her Vaccine Express initiative, where around 500 Filipino seafarers under the B3 and B5 categories will receive their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
She was reacting to a question about her possible future role in disaster relief operations amid reports that Typhoon Odette is battering parts of the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
Strong winds and rains are currently being felt in Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands, forcing local officials to evacuate families living in low-lying areas for fear of flooding and storm surges.
READ: Typhoon 'Odette' rapidly intensifies, to make landfall soon
In her experience, Robredo said more can be done when she’s on the ground because she has the mandate to call on agencies and officials to help in the disaster relief operations.
“Tapos 'yun, pag may sakuna ako talaga 'yung pumupunta kasi paminsan, 'yung report sa 'yo, while tama naman 'yung mga report, pero pag bumaba ka marami ka pang ibang makikita na hindi na-capture nung report (Then that, when there’s a disaster, I’m really the one to go there because sometimes, the report, while correct, when you go to the ground, you will see a lot of things not captured in the report),” she explained.
The aspiring president believes that government officials should get out of their way to see what’s happening on the ground because it also uplifts the spirits of the victims of the calamities.
More can be done when the officials are in the area because they can activate government agencies and the private sector to help.
“Kaya hindi ako nakukuntento na hindi ako mismo ‘yung bumababa (That’s why I am not contented that I am not the one to go down on the ground),” Robredo said.
Performing her mandate as Vice President, she was instrumental in helping northern Luzon in November last year when it suffered from heavy flooding, pushing netizens to make the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo trend on the social media platform.
On Thursday, Robredo already tweeted a reminder to those in the affected areas.
READ: NDRRMC raises red alert status in preparation for typhoon ‘Odette’
“Already seeing reports about strong winds and rains in Surigao. Sa ating mga kababayan sa (To our fellowmen in) Visayas at (and) Mindanao na apektado ng (affected by) #OdettePH: Mag-iingat po kayo at manatiling alerto (Take care and be alert). Praying for everyone’s safety and preparing our assistance for areas affected,” she posted.
She also informed the public that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) already has prepositioned relief goods ready to be deployed to the affected areas.
“Already in touch with some local officials and our partners in affected areas; pinag- uusapan na po namin ‘yung pinakakailangan nila now (we are already talking about what their needs are),” Robredo tweeted.