Vice President Leni Robredo is confident that she can augment the number of people that she had helped if she will win the presidency in the May 2022 polls and one way to do this is to empower barangays-- the first responders of people in the communities.
Robredo made the statement during the PiliPinas Debate of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Saturday evening, March 19.
According to Robredo, if there was one thing she learned during her campaign for the presidency, it is that nothing beats going to the communities and listening to the sentiments of the people.
"Wala talagang kapalit yung magbabad sa communities dahil doon ka nakikinig. Pag sabi kong pagbabad sa communities, hindi during campaign pero bago pa niyan (Nothing beats going to the communities because that is the place where you get to listen and when I say going to the communities, it's not just during the campaign)," she said.
"Doon mo nararamdaman yung kahirapan na pinagdaraanan ng ating mga kababayan at yun ang nagsi-shape sa mga policies at mga projects na ginagawa natin (That is where you can feel the poverty and the sufferings of our fellowmen and this is what shapes our policies and projects)," she added.
According to Robredo, she has been going to the communities long before she entered politics. When she was elected Congresswoman in 2013, she pushed for measures that would help address corruption. Now that she is the Vice President, Robredo said her Angat-Buhay anti-poverty program helped many poor communities.
"Kaya inaayos namin ang governance, kaya inaayos namin yung corruption kasi ang palagay natin 'pag naayos natin ang governance, naalis natin ang corruption, mas maraming pera yung mapupunta para sa ating mga kababayan (We're fixing governance and eradicating corruption because when we achieve that, we can allot more funds to help the people)," she said.
"Kung ngayong VP ako marami kaming natutulungan lalo na pag binigyan ako ng mas malaking mandato (If we are able to help a lot of people now that I am Vice President, I can help a lot more if I am given a bigger mandate)," she added.
The Vice President said another way to help the people is to empower the barangays which are the first to respond to the needs of the people.
"Sila ang may pakiramdam sa hinaing at kahirapan ng ating mga kababayan kaya dapat bigyan natin sila ng mas malaking capacity, mas malaking pondo, mas grabeng empowerment (They are the first to learn the cries and sufferings of the people that's why we should given them a bigger capacity, bigger funds, and more empowerment)," she said.