CEBU, Philippines - A day after President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit for the groundbreaking of the third bridge linking mainland Cebu to Mactan Island, it is now the turn of Vice President Leni Robredo to be in town.
Gabriel Cruz, liaison officer of Robredo in Cebu, said the vice president will lead today’s launching of Angat Buhay Summit at the Casino Español.
Cruz said that this will be the first in the Visayas whereby Cebu Province will be presenting their needs which shall be matched by the Private Sector including multi-national companies in Manila and Cebu.
Angat Buhay, which was launched in October last year, is the Anti-Poverty Advocacies and Program of the Office of the Vice President that seeks to facilitate partnerships between local government units (LGU) and different stakeholders to address specific poverty-related problems.
About 15 LGUs in Cebu are set to pitch their proposed projects to at least 50 private corporations in today’s Angat Buhay launching.
LGUs from northern Cebu include Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Bogo City, San Remigio, Tabuelan, Tuburan, Danao City, San Francisco in Camotes Island, Mandaue City.
Those from south Cebu are the cities of Talisay, Naga, and Carcar, while the towns of Barili, Argao and Dalaguete are also in the list.
Florentino Nimor, Acting Chief of the Provincial Planning and Development Office, said the LGUs will be the ones to market and present their proposed projects and programs for them to get support and funding from private firms and civic organizations.
These private companies are supporting the Angat Buhay Program in its effort to uplift the lives of the poor, particularly children and senior citizens, in various rural areas here in Cebu.
They committed their funds in a bid to touch the lives of the people mostly in impoverished parts of the province as part of their corporate social responsibility.
Nimor said his office will closely monitor with the LGUs once their programs are approved and getting funded.
He believed that the program will help lower the poverty incidence in the province and uplift the lives of the vulnerable and marginalized sectors.
Citing the report of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas, Cebu province has 48-percent poverty incidence rate.
He believes that the program will help combat poverty in the province.
Robredo earlier said poverty causes the rise in the number of maternal deaths due to poor access to proper health care and this leads to irreversible stunting of growth in the first 1,000 days of many Filipino children.
Under the Angat Buhay program, an initial 50 local government units will be partnered with non-government organizations and private corporations that can help them fund projects such as for housing, infrastructure, education, livelihood and disaster management, among others. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon, Kristine B. Quintas (FREEMAN)