Presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo said she is partly to blame for why critics and bashers believe she isn’t doing anything—it’s because she’s not the type to self-promote, choosing instead to help quietly.
Robredo said the reason why she’s a target of online lies is that whenever she visits communities, she usually doesn’t broadcast about it except for documentary purposes.
“Dapat di na naaabala ‘yung tinutulungan (The people who received help shouldn’t be bothered anymore),” Robredo stressed.
The Vice President virtually talked to her supporters from Rizal province on Monday, Jan. 17, as part of the series of consultative meetings she’s doing for her presidential bid this May 2022.
“Tina-try talaga namin (We are really trying) to be as quiet about it as possible. Kasi ang tingin natin dapat ‘yung (Because we believe that) public service, hindi ‘yung (it’s not the) attention yung nagmo-motivate sa’yo na gumalaw (that should motivate you to act),” Robredo stated in the online meeting.
“Pero dapat ang nagmo-motivate sa ating gumalaw ay ‘yung (The ones that should motivate us to act are the) outcomes na nararamdaman ng ating mga (that are being felt by our) partners sa buhay nila (in their lives),” she added.
The presidential aspirant admitted that during election season, candidates will make promises to woo voters.
However, Robredo cautioned voters against believing such promises and asked them to look at the “record.”
READ: Robredo urges voters: Check on candidates' track record on fighting corruption, poverty
“Yung pinakamahalaga ‘yung (The most important is the) consistency. Yung (The) consistency, kung may eleksyon o wala, ginagawa mo na siya (whether with elections or not, you are doing it),” she said.
She vowed that if she wins the presidency, her government will be accesible to people because she will focus on making sure nobody gets left behind.
Even without the elections yet, Robredo invited the participants in the virtual meeting, one of whom is Marlene, a market vendor from Montalban, Rizal, to join the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) sustainable livelihood and training program.
Through the said program, which will look at the long-term gains, she hoped to “end the cycle” of vendors needing to pay high-interest loans for capital.
The Vice President also highlighted her plan for the government to buy from local small and medium enterprises.
“Ang pinakamalaking merkado ang gobyerno so dapat ang gobyerno tinitingnan niya ‘yung mga binibili niya sa pang-araw-araw at alin ba dun iyong mga pwedeng bilhin nya sa mga maliliit na nagtitinda gaya nyo (The biggest market is the government so the government should look at what it is buying for its daily use and see what it can buy from small businesses like yours),” she said.