With a voting population of less than 15,000 people, Lubang Island in Occidental Mindoro isn’t a place most national candidates will likely visit, but Vice President Leni Robredo wanted to make sure people there realize the kind of government she is offering—a government willing to go down to its people, no matter how far or small.
Although she has been to the province several times in the past because of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) Angat Buhay program, Robredo said this was her first time on the island.
“Finally got to visit Lubang Island in Occidental Mindoro. Hindi madaling puntahan ang lugar na ito, pero dinayo pa rin namin para sa pagkakataon na makilala ang mga (It is not easy to visit this place, but we went for a chance to get to know the) Lubangeño,” she wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, April 26.
“Tripleng sipag tayo (Triple the diligence) with 13 days left—lahat ng sulok ng Pilipinas, mahalaga (all the corners of the Philippines, important!!,” the Vice President added.
Lubang, an island northwest of Mindoro’s northern tip, gave Robredo a win during the 2016 vice-presidential race.
It’s an unlikely stop for many political candidates, but the lone female presidential bet wanted to keep her promise that neither distance nor inconvenience will prevent her for reaching those in need.
“ihirang puntahan ng mga kandidato 'yung mga maliliit na lugar dahil laging sinasabi na sayang ng oras, konti lang naman 'yung botante diyan. Alam niyo naman 'yun, di ba? Pero ako po wala sa aking maliit o malaki. Wala sa aking malayo, wala sa aking mahirap puntahan (Candidates barely visit small places because they always say it’s a waste of time, there are a few voters there. You know that, right? But for me, there is no small or big. There is no far for me, no difficult to reach),” Robredo said at the event dubbed “Pasandal sa Isla: People’s Coalition Rally Mindorosas 2.0.”
During her term as Vice President, she noticed how people in remote areas and faraway places were thirsty for assistance from the government.
“ng karanasan po namin 'yung anim na taon na Vice President ako na umiikot ako sa buong Pilipinas, lalong malalayo 'yung lugar, lalong maliliit, lalong mahirap puntahan, lalo din na uhaw na mapansin ng pamahalaan (In our experience in six years as Vice President going around the whole Philippines, the farther the place, the smaller, the more difficult to reach, the more they are thirsty for attention from the government),” Robredo said.
“Isang klase ng pamamahala na lahat mahalaga. Isang klase ng pamamahala na hindi kayo mauuhaw na mabisita kayo ng inyong national government officials (A kind of governance where everyone is important. A kind of government where you won’t thirst to be visited by national government officials),” she said.
Representatives from various sectors expressed their support for Robredo, while raising some of the issues they face on a daily basis.
The Vice President assured them their concerns will be prioritized by her administration, highlighting the need for locally made fertilizer to keep prices under control in the agriculture sector.
READ: Robredo pushes for local production of fertilizers to boost farmers’ profits
She also promised to provide livelihood support for mothers in the women's sector, as well as financial assistance to tricycle drivers and operators affected by the pandemic.
“Gusto ko sa inyong ipakita na pag ako po naging Pangulo, alam ko dapat lahat na problema niyo (I want to show you that if I become President, I should know all your problems),” Robredo said.
After the people’s rally, she met with religious leaders at the Adoration Chapel, Our Lady of Assumption Parish, where she was prayed over by leaders of the church.
The Vice President also dropped by to visit Lubang Mayor Michael Orayani at the Bahay Pamahalaan ng Lubang.