Leni can make a difference, but it’ll be costly

PHOTO FROM LENI ROBREDO MEDIA BUREAU

Vice President Leni Robredo can make a difference even without a Cabinet position, but keeping true to her promise of reaching those in the fringes of society could be costly, senators said on  Thursday.

Robredo formally took over the vice presidency with no Cabinet position designated to her by President Duterte, who took his oath separately in deference to his good friend,  losing vice presidential candidate and ex-senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Senators Francis Pangilinan and Bam Aquino, who are Robredo’s party mates in the Liberal Party, however said they still believed the deputy leader can achieve her campaign promise despite an expected budget constraint.

“Even without a Cabinet post or with meager resources, a dedicated and committed public servant like Vice President Leni Robredo can still and will make a difference in the lives of our people,” Pangilinan said.

Aquino added Robredo was “adamant in fulfilling her mandate and her promises.”

He said Robredo would likely organize different groups in the private sector and nongovernmental organizations to reach the marginalized sector in the “laylayan” or the fringes, as she has promised.

“Whether facing an electoral protest or not having a Cabinet position, no one can block Vice President Leni in her objectives for our countrymen,” Aquino said.

But Sen. Panfilo Lacson said achieving Robredo’s promise could be a challenge without ready resources to fund her projects. “I’m afraid she can only do [so] much as what she can offer in her personal capacity,” Lacson said.

He said the budget Robredo “intended to provide for whatever assistance she may want to extend to the less privileged or the downtrodden is very limited, if at all available.”