Vice President Leni Robredo’s flagship Angat Buhay program has helped 622,000 families in 223 cities and municipalities across the country since she assumed office in 2016.

A yearend report from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) said the families have been assisted by Angat Buhay using more than P520 million worth of aid, mostly donations from the private sector.

Robredo’s office has partnered with 372 organizations in the implementation of its poverty alleviation program in the past five-and-a-half years.

The Angat Buhay program, which was launched in October 2016, focuses on six key advocacy areas, namely: public education, rural development, food security and nutrition, women empowerment, universal healthcare, and housing and resettlement.

It also covers disaster relief and rehabilitation and response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

READ: Robredo says Angat Buhay is her ‘best legacy’

The OVP’s core program focusing on uplifting the lives of Filipino families from poverty mirrors the vision of Robredo for the country in her presidential bid this upcoming elections.

“Meron na tayong vision na kapag tayo ay binigyan ng pagkakataon, ito 'yung Pilipinas na inaasahan natin: na 'yung mga naiiwan ay inaakay, 'yung mga nadadapa, binibitbit. 'Yung mga blessed ay sini-share yung blessing sa iba (We already have a vision if we are given a chance, this is the Philippines that we are hoping for: those left behind will be guided, those who fall will be carried. Those who are blessed will share their blessings with others),” Robredo said.

As of December 2021, the OVP said it has provided P146.83 million in donations from the private sector and P85.25 million in relief assistance for those affected affected by Taal volcano explosion and Typhoons Nina and Odette.

On COVID response, Robredo’s office has tested 9,757 people in communities through its Swab Cab and funded 35,656 extraction and detection kits to help identify infected patients.

The OVP also launched the Bayanihan E-Konsulta, Vaccine Express, Community Learning Hubs, and Community Mart to support the national and local government’s pandemic response.

READ: Robredo looks back on OVP’s pandemic response in 2021

Angat Buhay has also mobilized P82.14 million worth of health projects in 124 localities, such as a mental health facility in San Remigio, Cebu, which was also given x-ray machines and medicines with the help of private partners.

There were 44 projects worth P39.49 million that were initiated to address malnutrition, among which was the feeding program that benefited 800 children in Lambunao, Iloilo.

The program also provided scholarships and skills training to more than 120 Filipino youth and reached 138 women entrepreneurs nationwide in terms of livelihood opportunities, including startup capital and mentoring from experts.

A total of P15.39 million worth of livelihood assistance was also turned over to 156 fisherfolk, famers, seamstresses, small businessmen, and riders in partnership with 33 accredited civil society organizations.

Robredo’s home region of Bicol and Marawi City also benefited from Angat Buhay’s housing program. The BAHAYanihan program in Bicol allocated P15.4 million for construction materials for people living in danger zones, while donations from the private sector enabled the construction of 72 transitory shelters for residents displaced by the Marawi siege.