Angat Buhay, the flagship project of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), has helped more than 155,000 families since Vice President Leni Robredo took office two years ago.
“Ito iyong pinangako ko noong ako ay kumakandidato, noong aking inauguration — na iyong core talaga na magiging programa ng Office of the Vice President iyong pag-asikaso ng mga nasa laylayan ng lipunan,” Robredo said in a statement on Sunday.
(This is what I promised you when I was running for office and during my inauguration – that the core program of the Office of the Vice President will be focused on taking care of those in the margins of society.)
“And over the course of two years, iyon iyong ginawa natin (that’s what we’ve worked on),” she added.
The OVP said it had extended P252 million worth of aid with the help of partners, who were mostly from the private sector.
“Tingin ko iyong pinakamahalaga dito hindi lang iyong pagtulong, pero pinapakita natin iyong kahalagahan ng collaboration, pinapakita natin iyong kahalagahan ng pagkakaisa ng iba’t ibang stakeholders—na aariin iyong obligasyon na tulungan iyong ating mga kababayan,” Robredo added.
(I think the most important thing here is not just the help we extended, but we showed you the importance of collaboration among different stakeholders to help our people.)
The Angat Buhay program, which was launched in October 2016, focuses on six key advocacy areas, namely: public education, rural development, food security and nutrition, women empowerment, universal healthcare, and housing and resettlement.
Robredo’s office added that with the help of its partners and local government units in Metro Manila, Angat Buhay had conducted medical missions, legal assistance, and job fairs in poor communities.
One of the program’s main project is the provision of 100 transitory shelters for the displaced residents of Marawi City after the siege, 60 of which will be turned over in July 2018.
Robredo said that OVP’s budgetary constraints would not be a hindrance to helping impoverished families.
“Hindi dahilan iyong limitadong budget, hindi dahilan iyong limitasyon sa kapangyarihan. Basta gustong tumulong, parating may matutulungan (Our limited budget should not limit our ability to help),” she added. /ee