Leni to visit remote areas during weekends

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo will be spending her weekends visiting far-flung communities across the country. 

In these “laylayan” events, Robredo said she wants to personally see the problems of the people in underprivileged areas and find solutions upon return to the capital.  

“From Monday to Friday, we will try to find partners who can help address these problems,” Robredo told reporters in Camarines Sur where she visited an indigenous people’s (IP) community yesterday. 

She won the vice presidential race on a platform aimed at helping those in the fringes of society.

The Vice President walked for over an hour to visit an IP community in the municipality of Ocampo.

She noted some problems in the community, including the lack of electricity and basic facilities such as schools and health centers. 

“Upon my return to Manila, I will ask how we can provide support to the people there,” she said. 

Robredo added that she would coordinate with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to determine how the people can help in the reforestation of the national park in the area.

Earlier, the Vice President stressed the need to measure success of government projects not just by the number of beneficiaries but also on how it improved their lives in the long term. 

“Instead of number of houses built, we want to look at how those houses have improved quality of life,” Robredo, who chairs the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, said. 

“When we conduct medical missions, we should not be looking at the number of patients but the long-term outcomes of treating those patients. This should be the mindset of those who are in the work of inclusive growth,” she added. 

Speaking at an event in Makati City on Friday, Robredo highlighted the role that women play in pushing for inclusive growth in the country. 

“We are good in thinking of new ways to lengthen our stride – in housing, education, in fighting hunger, in sparking rural development, in providing public healthcare and in empowerment,” she said. 

“In this work, we also need to think of more meaningful ways of measuring our successes or failures,” she added.