Presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo capped a three-day sortie in Eastern Visayas on Wednesday, March 30, with a people’s rally at the Sunken Garden, Capitol Grounds in Maasin City, Southern Leyte.
During her speech, she talked about how the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) work in the past six years showed what a “gobyernong tapat (honest government)” can do.
When Typhoon “Odette” devastated parts of Southern Leyte in December last year, the OVP sent P30 million worth of aid to Leytenos so they can rebuild anew.
Among the projects and programs the OVP has spearheaded in December were the provisions of relief goods, livelihood assistance, and shelter kits. Specifically, the OVP has made the fisherfolk a beneficiary of its programs because they were among the hardest hit by the typhoon.
Some 100 families also received P10,000 each from the OVP despite her office’s meager resources, Robredo noted.
“At 'yan 'yung gustong sabihin kapag sinasabi nating gobyernong tapat, angat buhay lahat dahil po 'yung opisina namin kaunti lang naman 'yung pondo (And that’s what we mean when we say honest government, improved lives for all because our office has a small fund),” the Vice President added.
Despite this, she stressed that she sent help to all the places hit by Typhoon Odette.
Even amid the pandemic, the OVP sent personal protective equipment (PPE) sets and medical supplies to local hospitals.
“Pero bakit natin 'yung nagagawa? Dahil marunong tayong humawak ng pera ng pamahalaan (But why can we do it? Because we know how to handle the government’s money),” she said.
She has done this quietly that not many people know about all the communities the OVP helped.
The aspiring president read a placard from one of the hundreds there.
The placard read, “In behalf sa 1,113 families na tinulungan ng OVP noong (that the OVP helped during) lockdown sa barangay namin, daghang salamat (in our barangay, thank you).”
Her receipt, she said, doesn’t need to come from her.
“Pero ang pinaka resibo natin 'yung tinutulungan mismo. 'Yung tinutulungan mismo, siya po 'yung makakapagsabi (But our receipt are those we helped. Those we helped, they’ll be the one to say),” the Vice President emphasized.
For her, helping people should be free from politics and political colors.
“At 'yun po 'yung pinapangako natin sa inyo. Pag sinabi po nating gobyernong tapat, sisiguraduhin natin na hindi politika ang konsiderasyon. Sisiguraduhin po natin na 'yung mga lingkod bayan matitino at mahuhusay para lahat natutulungan (And that’s what we’re promising to you now. When we say honest government, we will make sure that politics is not the consideration. We will make sure that the public servants are decent and excellent so all will receive help),” Robredo said.
In Southern Leyte, Robredo also met with members of a fisherfolk community in Barangay San Jose in the municipality of Sogod for a dialogue about their livelihood.