Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte continues to bridge the gap between the government and the people, bringing the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to far-flung areas in the fulfillment of her promises. That, she achieved in 2023 while going through many challenges, one of them her office’s controversial confidential funds.
She opened the OVP’s extension office in Lipa, Batangas and Tondo, Manila, in addition to the 10 existing satellite offices opened in 2022 in various provinces. This supports Duterte’s aim to extend government assistance to Filipinos in far-flung areas.
“Bago ako naging Vice President, nakita ko po sa aking paglilibot sa buong Pilipinas ang pangangailangan na dalhin sa mga probinsya ang mga serbiyso ng gobyerno — lalo na sa mga mahihirap na bahagi ng bansa (Before I became Vice President, I saw in my visits around the Philippines the need to bring government services to the provinces — especially to the poor areas of the country),” she said in a video featuring OVP’s 2023 accomplishment report.
“Marami po kasi sa ating mga kababayan sa probinsya ang nangangailangan ng serbisyo ng pamahalaan pero madalas ay wala silang matakbuhan (Many of our countrymen in the provinces need government services but don’t have access to them),” she lamented.
But at its core, the OVP centered on these programs and projects—the Medical Assistance Program, Burial Assistance Program, Mag Negosyo Ta ‘Day, Pagbabago: A Million Learners and Trees, PanSarap, Kalusugan Food Truck, Disaster Operations Center, Relief for Individuals in Crisis and Emergencies, You Can Be VP, and Libreng Sakay.
The official also reported that the medical and burial services provided by the OVP amounted to P1.27 billion and P130.3 million, respectively, helping a total of 106,958 Filipinos for their medical needs and 22,470 families for the burial of their loved ones.
The OVP also continued its Libreng Sakay Program to help commuters during peak hours in Metro Manila and other provinces. In total, the program helped 523,263 in Metro Manila, 89,605 in Bacolod, 60,409 in Davao, and 99,633 in Cebu.
All these are done with the OVP’s partnerships with the private sector.
Duterte’s Disaster Operations Center (DOC), which aims to assist during calamities, held 162 relief operations.
It distributed P69.1 million worth of 23,807 relief boxes, 11,610 food bags, and 438,180 other relief items to some 115,045 families.
Close to Duterte’s heart is the Mag-Negosyo Ta ‘Day Program, which she started in Davao City when she was its local chief executive.
“Nakita ko kasi kung paano nito binago ang maraming buhay ng mga kababaihan sa Davao City noong mayor pa ako (I saw how this changed many lives of women in Davao City when I was still mayor),” she said.
In bringing the program to the national level, it has aided various sectors, including the LGBTQ community. So far, the program helped four organizations—each received P150,000 in capital—with a combined 25,765 members.
Duterte, who is also the country’s Education chief, also wants to encourage the youth to take up leadership positions. She introduced the You Can Be VP Program to allow participants to experience what it’s like to be a leader.
In 2023, the Vice President took “Trix” to her trip to Japan, “Naomi” to Brunei and Singapore, and “Kester” to South Korea.
“Sina Trix, Naomi, at Kester ay mga batang Pilipino na nagpapakita ng magandang halimbawa sa kanilang kapwa kabataan (Trix, Naomi, and Kester are good examples of the Filipino youth to their fellows),” she said.
“Pinapahalagahan nila ang edukasyon at nagpupunyagi sila na makamtan ang kanilang mga pangarap sa kabila ng mga hamon sa kanilang buhay (They give importance to education and they work hard to achieve their dreams despite the challenges in their lives),” she added.
These accomplishments, the official stressed, won’t be possible without the OVP’s partnerships with the private sectors, both local and international.
To date, the OVP has 749 partnerships—30 international engagements and 596 local engagements.
“Kabahagi sila (private sector) sa pagbibigay ng mga makabuluhang programa at serbisyo sa mga Pilipino (They are part of the meaningful program and service we extend to Filipinos),” she said.
Despite the political shakeups that threaten the once solid UniTeam, Duterte keeps finding a niche where she can work and for the people she promised to serve.
In her 2023 report, she promised to continue providing excellent, effective, and meaningful programs and projects.
“Kayo ang aming inspirasyon upang patuloy na maging mabuti at epektibong lingkod bayan (You are our inspiration to continue being excellent and effective public servants,” she said.