A new role for Luli Arroyo

Former First Daughter Luli Arroyo embraces a new role in her life right now aside from wife and mother — she heads the Congressional Spouses Foundation Inc. (CSFI). With her mother former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, Luli finds herself representing her dad Mike in the CSFI.

Life has been challenging for Luli in the last decade, to say the least. I asked her what guides her through the peaks and troughs of life and she said, “It’s what we learned from Assumption: Fidelity to duty and love of simplicity. My grandfather (former President Diosdado Macapagal) also always used to tell us to ‘Do what is right, do our best, and let God take care of the rest.’ So I try to do what I think is right and do my best, and do so without calling attention to myself.”

The Kabuhayan National Livelihood Trade Fair will showcase modern Filipiniana fashion...

Thus, when the Speaker asked her only daughter Luli to help out with the foundation, all she asked was that, “I do my best to make sure the CSFI’s annual projects are accomplished in the limited amount of time I have as its chair,” says Luli.

According to Luli, the Kabuhayan National Livelihood Trade Fair has always been the centerpiece and major project of CSFI, from the time it was founded by Mrs. Cecile Mitra (wife of speaker Ramon Mitra). “So, I wanted to make sure I did my best this year. I’m grateful for all the support that the CSFI members have shown to get things accomplished, and done well.”

“As for advocacies, I asked my mother for some guidance, and she said that disaster response will always be important and that the foundation is in a good position in which to assist,” adds Luli.

...fabric and accessories...

She discussed this advocacy with the CSFI board, and the board decided to focus on disaster assistance in the form of immediate job creation, “giving assistance to areas hit by calamities so that the locals can be paid for their work in clearing operations or cleaning up their area.”

“In this way, we get to help them become self-sufficient more quickly, if they are able to get money for work and use that as a foundation for further work and micro-businesses. Most disaster assistance goes to food, clothing, or evacuation kits, so with the limited funding we have, we felt this was the best way to have a positive impact,” points out Luli.

*  *  *

The CSFI will hold its biggest fundraising event for the year, the Kabuhayan National Livelihood Trade Fair, from Nov. 8 to 11 at the Megatrade Hall, 5th level, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.

Who better than to showcase the best of the provinces than the spouses of the congressmen representing them?

There are 100 booths this year showcasing only the best products from around the country, including modern Filipiniana fashion, fabric and accessories, bags woven from abaca, seagrass, pandan and water lily; ready-to-eat delicacies and home accessories.

According to the CSFI, the trade fair “aims to provide small and medium Filipino entrepreneurs with an opportunity to display their creativity, ingenuity, and widen their market reach.”

...delicacies...

Some of the merchants will include Kaayo Modern Mindanao, clothes that tell various stories from Mindanao; Angono art pieces from Totong Francisco, the Blanco family, Sarah Geneblazo, Kevin Sabino and Aaron Bautista; delicacies from Bulacan; Lucban longganisa; Infanta suman; crafted beer from Vigan; pineapples from Ormoc; and handicraft from water lilies from the Villar Sipag Foundation.

The CSFI is a non-stock, non-profit organization composed of 270 spouses, siblings and children of the House of Representatives. It conducts socio-civic activities to help reduce poverty, foster education, rehabilitate abused women, promote tourism, among others.

*  *  *

Luli has also added her own advocacy for environmental sustainability, particularly in the marine environment, to the advocacies of the CSFI.

“So this year, the beneficiary for our Kabuhayan Trade Fair is WWF Philippines, and in particular, its program geared towards the tuna fishermen around Mindoro Strait and Lagonoy Gulf. Our three objectives (disaster assistance, livelihood assistance, environmental sustainability) are met in this program. The fishermen will need to have some of their boats that were damaged in the previous typhoons replaced or repaired. These are also the tuna fishermen that practice handline fishing, which is not easy, but it is the most environmentally sound way to catch tuna — so why not reward them for sticking to environmental standards?” she emphasizes.

“They also need a lot of support in their goal towards Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, which will allow them to sell their tuna in the European market. So the money we are donating will help them towards this goal,” she adds.

...home accessories and more.

The House of Representatives recently turned over a little over P6 million to the CSFI. This was raised from the collection the congressmen took up to assist in the rehabilitation of Marawi.

“A portion of that will be given to the constituents of Rep. (Ansaruddin) Adiong since he requested for some assistance for about 900 families who are still in temporary shelters. The bulk of it will go towards the construction of a ‘bagsakan’ center and a couple of small trucks that will assist one of the farmers’ cooperatives identified by the government’s Task Force Bangon Marawi to bring their produce to the buyers. We hope that the construction of the ‘bagsakan’ center can be completed by January or February 2019.”

The next few months are going to be pretty busy for Luli and the CSFI!

(For inquiries, call Vina at 0917-5025249 or 0918-9150806.)

(You may e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @joanneraeramirez.)