Robredo: Quick action needed to bring home stranded individuals

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday said the government must swiftly act to help people who are stranded in Metro Manila amid the general community quarantine, in order to prevent similar tragic deaths like that of Michelle Silvertino’s.

“Our only request is that the right information for those who are stranded will be organized,” she said on her radio show. “If the system will not be fixed, there will be more cases like hers.”

Hailing from Robredo’s home province of Camarines Sur, Silvertino passed away on June 5 at a covered footbridge in Pasay City, after waiting for five days for a ride home to Bicol province.

She was among those scheduled to board a bus home the next day as arranged by the Office of the Vice President.

“I wish that we were able to learn about her case earlier, so we could have helped her,” Robredo said, adding that her office had already extended aid to Silvertino’s family in Calabanga town.

Silvertino’s death has highlighted the dismal plight of stranded individuals, including overseas workers, who have found themselves stuck in the metropolis while waiting for available transport to take them home.