Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday, May 18, admitted frustration that there are local government units (LGUs) and government agencies that don’t want to work with her office because of politics.

The vice president was treated more as an opponent rather than an ally of the administration, she said.

“Mahirap iyon for us kasi marami sana kaming pwedeng gawin kung magtulungan lang pero kung ang treatment sa’yo kalaban kahit gusto mo tumulong, very limited ‘yung tulong mo (It’s hard for us because we can do many things, help many more if we are not treated as an opponent because even though you want to help, your reach is very limited),” Robredo said during an interview on Kapamilya Konek over DZMM Teleradyo.

Robredo cited as an example when they want to help rural communities and needed the cooperation from the LGU and national government agencies.

When the agencies learned that her office was behind spearheading the program, they backed away from partnering with the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

READ: https://mb.com.ph/2020/01/09/vp-leni-denies-being-an-enemy-of-the-administration/

Robredo said that not all agencies are like that because “meron namang iba basta sa ngalan ng pagtulong hindi tinitingnan, hindi tinitingnan iyong pulitika (there are others that in the name of helping, they don’t look at politics).”

“Pero, unfortunately, marami pa din iyong kapag nalalaman na kami iyon ayaw tumulong (But, unfortunately, there are still many who refused to help when they learned that it’s us),” she lamented.

It was particularly hard during the first few months of her term because she had a young staff, who were eager to do their part.

The opposition leader, however, has reminded them to find a way around the “detour.”

“Kapag may na-come across na tayo mga detour, hanap na lang tayo ng ibang way pero huwag na mag-dwell doon sa wala (When we come across detours, let’s find another way but let us not dwell on what we don’t have),” Robredo said.

The vice president has been mocked and subjected to ridicule over the last five years, mostly because she’s seen as the head of the opposition. She remained critical of the Duterte administration, but repeatedly said she wanted to work with the President for the good of the country.

Over the past year, the public praised her timely and effective COVID-19 response.