By Andrew J. Masigan
What do you do when you sit as the second highest government official in the land and yet are shut-out from the Cabinet, starved of a budget, vilified, and conspired upon to be ousted?
Traditional politicians put in the same situation would fight fire with fire. Time and again, we’ve seen them resort to destabilization tactics, black propaganda and political sabotage just to get the political upper hand. Still fresh in our memories is how (then) Mayor Jejomar Binay held the entire Makati City Hall hostage when the DILG tried to enforce a 60-day suspension on him for maintaining ghost employees on the payroll. Or how Juan Ponce Enrile backed several coup d’ etats against the administration of President Cory Aquino following his termination from duty as secretary of Defense. Such selfish tantrums are typical of Filipino politicos. But Vice-President Robredo is anything but typical.
Unlike most trapos, the Vice-President has chosen to keep the peace so as not to derail the programs of the Duterte administration. This is admirable considering the stronghold of supporters at her disposal. Lest it be forgotten, apart from her base of 16.6 million voters, the Vice-President enjoys the confidence of most Western governments, the Catholic Church, and those who value human rights, gender equality, and decency in public governance. Collectively, her bailiwick is strong enough to cause trouble if instigated. Yet, the Vice-President chooses to keep things on an even keel. She is a team player, in this sense, as she chooses to give this administration the latitude to fulfill its mandates.
Despite the unrelenting political persecution she is made to endure, Vice-President Robredo has not failed to fulfill her own campaign promise — which is, to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. She does so without fuss nor fanfare. Hence, it is only right that the public be made aware of her accomplishments as she caps her first year in office.
FIRST-YEAR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
With limited resources, the Vice-President forged ahead to champion the causes of the marginalized.
At the heart of her work are six advocacies. They are: hunger alleviation, public education, universal health care, rural development, women empowerment, mass housing and human settlements. The office of the Vice-President established a program called “Angat Buhay” to carry-out its social programs in a systematic manner.
“Angat Buhay” provides the framework for the sourcing of aid and its efficient disbursement among qualified beneficiaries. It is a “clearing house,” if you will, where needy communities are identified and given guidance on how to utilize aid in the most efficient manner. All beneficiaries are certified to be legitimate and their ability to carry-out programs without graft. On the other hand, “Angat Buhay” also acts as a conduit for donors who wish to customize their programs to real needs. It assists in the implementation of programs for maximum impact.
“Angat Buhay” was launched last October and immediately connected 50 impoverished local government units with 288 donor organizations. Among the notable projects undertaken on its first month were the solar electrification of a tribal community in Pola, Mindoro, the building of dormitories in Zamboanga del Norte, and the facilitation of academic scholarships to deserving students in Basilan, among others. This, apart from providing medical assistance to 10,892 individuals and funeral aid to 71 grieving families.
All things told, “Angat Buhay” has so far disbursed P52.72 million worth of aid, benefitting 22,300 families spanning 50 communities. The beauty of the program is that it conducts post-project audits to ensure that all pledges were spent according to budget and within specifications. Safeguards against corruption are firmly in place in “Angat Buhay’s” mechanisms.
When supertyphoon Haima inundated northern Luzon last October and typhoon Nina ravaged the Bicol region last December, the Vice-president was the first responder in the field. She personally visited typhoon-hit these areas to coordinate relief efforts with local leaders and provide assistance where needed most. Through partnerships with private donors, 30 motorboats were provided for flooded communities, temporary shelters were built, classrooms were repaired, and hundreds of thousands of food and first aid kits were distributed.
The Office of the Vice-president (OVP) has also been a guiding light for distressed overseas contract workers. In 2016 alone, the OVP provided assistance to 4,289 OFW’s including those who required repatriation, legal intermediation, and assistance against abuses.
There is something to be said about keeping your head down and letting the work speak for itself. The Vice-president has accomplished more than most public officials notwithstanding the fact that she no longer has official government agency under her watch. This speaks spades about her resourcefulness and resolve to deliver on her promises.
BEYOND ADVOCACIES
VP Robredo has been made the object of hate by Malacañang’s media machine following her video address to the United Nations last March. In that six-minute address, she spoke about the wanton incidences of extrajudicial killings, lack of transparency in narcotics–related data, human rights abuses, and death penalty applied to children as young as nine. To Malacañang, it was construed as washing the administration’s proverbial dirty linen in public. Numerous government officials and rabid followers latched on to the issue to sow hate and revulsion against the Vice-president. Through it all, the widow from Naga never took a combative stance even when vile attacks were hurled against her family.
Haters will never admit it, but the nation needs someone like Vice-president Robredo in the high echelons of government. With the President being who he is, the nation needs a beacon of decency, humanitarianism, and good values to balance the President’s blunt and politically incorrect ways. We need our “true north” to remind us that effective governance need not always be brutal, despotic, or onion-skinned. It can be dignified, lawful, and collaborative. The presence of the Vice-president in the political landscape prevents us from swinging to one extreme. She is the “yin” to the president’s “yang” and together, they balance the temperament of the nation. Over and beyond her advocacies, this, I reckon, is her greatest service to us all.
Haters will continue to hate but should they, or their loved ones, become victims of injustice, they will find the Vice-president to be their greatest ally. After all, she is the only one who has the courage to call-out Malacañang when it crosses the line. Knowing that she is there should be a comfort to us all.
Andrew J. Masigan is an economist.
