Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo believes that she has fulfilled her campaign promise to help the poor in her two years as the second highest elected official in the country.
Robredo, who ran on a platform of uplifting the lives of the poor, cited her office’s anti-poor initiative, the Angat Buhay programme, which taps the help of the private sector.
Angat Buhay, which touches on six advocacy areas namely: public education, rural development, food security and nutrition, women empowerment, universal healthcare, and housing and resettlement, has benefited 155,000 families from 176 communities across the country since its launch in October 2016. “This is what I promised when I was running for vice president and during my inauguration day — to look after the poorest, smallest, and farthest communities. And that is exactly what we did,” Robredo said in a statement.
“The most important takeaway here is not only extending help, but how crucial and effective collaboration is. We all have the obligation to help those in need, regardless of limited budget and limited power,” Robredo said.
Robredo, who beat former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr by 263,473 votes in the 2016 polls, is still facing a protest he lodged before the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).
The PET has yet to resolve Marcos’ protest.