Vice President Sara Duterte honor the public and private sector partners of the Office of the Vice President on Monday, June 5, 2023. (Photo from her Facebook page)
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte thanked both the public and private sector partners on Monday for helping and trusting the programs of the Office of the Vice President, saying they all can do more for social change.
“We are called to protect the gains of our efforts to alleviate our people from poverty — and we are challenged to continue working on sustainable and inclusive development. We have started good. But for us, good is not good enough. We want excellence,” Duterte said in a speech during her “Pasidungog,” a recognition and awarding program of the OVP.
“And the only way we could do this is if we work harder, if we remain faithful to the call to serve the interest of our people, if we broaden our collaborations, strengthen our unities, and deepen our commitment and dedication to public service. And so, now more than ever, I call on you our partners to hold on to our shared dreams as a nation. For it was our shared dreams and our shared desire to serve — fortified by our unity — that breathed life into our programs,” she said.
“Pasidungog” is a Cebuano word for “to praise publicly.”
According to Duterte, the OVP would have faced a daunting task without the support of its partners.
“We are here because of our shared aspiration for our fellow Filipinos — especially those who have been pushed against the wall by poverty and the cycle of violence that comes with it. We are here because of our mutual trust and respect — and our shared sense of collective responsibility to ensure the overall welfare of our people,” she said.
“For almost over a year now, the Office of the Vice President has been making strides as we commit to serving Filipinos in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
“It would have been daunting for us had it not been for your support,” she added.
According to its own data, the OVP has recognized 432 partner agencies, while 202 were able to attend the program earlier.
Among those recognized by OVP is Duterte’s predecessor, former Vice President Leni Robredo, whose Angat Buhay program morphed into a nongovernment organization aiming to be at the forefront of relief and rescue operations.
Duterte also reported on the state of the current OVP programs, including the following:
- medical and burial assistance
- Libreng Sakay (free rides)
- Kalusugan Food Trucks
- PanSarap Program
- PagbaBAGo: A Million Learners and Trees Campaign
- Mag Negosyo Ta ‘Day
Recently, the OVP opened its ninth satellite office in Mindanao in Cotabato City — so that people from the Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) can access services easier.