The Filipinos’ bayanihan or communal unity and their ability to accept the various issues in society are the bridge to the “better normal” everyone envisions after the pandemic, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Wednesday, August 25.

The opposition leader believes that it is bayanihan that enabled Filipinos to survive the past one year and a half since the pandemic started.

“It is this communal spirit that will bring us to the better normal we envision. As we are together to bounce back from the pandemic and build this better normal mahalagang bahagi ng trabaho iyong pagkilala sa mga ugat ng suliraning hinaharap natin (it’s important that part of that work is the recognition of the roots of the problems we face),” Robredo said during the 1Sambayan Ateneo-La Salle Joint Launch.

“Lagi ninyong tatandaan kung mas marami tayong nagkakaisa, mas malalim din ang lakas na kaya nating hugutin upang pandayin ang bukas na pinapangarap natin—isang mas patas, mas makatao, at mas maarugang bansa para sa bawat Pilipino (Always remember that if there are a lot of us who are united, we can draw strength on how to forge the future that we are dreaming of—one that is fairer, more humane, and more caring country for every Filipino),” she added.

Opposition coalition 1Sambayan and the country’s top universities, the De La Salle University and the Ateneo de Manila University, organized an online forum on bridging generations for 2022.

READ: Opposition coalition 1Sambayan launches university chapters

The vice president delivered the solidarity message.

Robredo recognized that many Filipinos are now frustrated, and it is this frustration that others have used to divide the country.

She said that many used such frustrations to highlight what made Filipinos different from each other instead of focusing on what keeps them bound to each other.

But even in her own office, Robredo said that her projects have only been possible because of bayanihan.

“Sa (At the) OVP, it is only through harnessing this communal responsibility that we were able to widen our service, reach out to more people, and bring more help to those who needed the most,” she said.

When the 1Sambayan revealed their nominees, which she headlined, for president and vice president in June, Robredo stressed that it comes with the acceptance that the answer to society’s ills is “each other.”

READ: Robredo rallies supporters for inclusive unity

The vice president urged the youth to reach out and “build bridges” with people who hold different opinions than their own, saying that this is the true spirit of bayanihan or communal unity.

Though she joins the youth in calling for unity, she also wants to emphasize the importance of finding space for all Filipinos, regardless of their affinity.

“Hindi pwedeng tayo-tayo lang ang nag-u-usap. Kaya ang hamon sa atin ngayon, bigyan ng espasyo ang kapwa Pilipino sa puso natin. Magbukas loob. Makinig. Umunawa. Palawakin pa ang saklaw nang matutulungan (We cannot just talk among ourselves. That’s why the challenge to us now is to give space for fellow Filipinos in our hearts. Open your heart. Listen. Understand. Let us widen the scope of who we can help),” Robredo said.

“Find more ways to build bridges where you can. Collaborate and work on advocacy projects together. Deepen your linkages and harness these to create more opportunities to strengthen the ties that bind you as a community,” she added.

Bayanihan, Robredo emphasized, isn’t just about being with those who have the same beliefs.

“Hinihingi nito sa atin na magbukas loob, makinig, na unawain kung saan nanggagaling iyong ating kapwa (It is asking us to open ourselves, listen, and understand where our fellowmen are coming from),” she said.