Robredo seeks more organized COVID-19 response efforts
Published Jun 9, 2020 12:00 am
By Raymund Antonio
If she had it her way, Vice President Leni Robredo wants to set up a more organized system for responding to the coronavirus crisis.
Vice-President Leni Robredo
(Mark Balmores / MANILA BULLETIN) Speaking at the Usapang EveryWoman, Robredo shared how she was frustrated over what Filipinos, especially those workers returning from abroad, are going through in this time of pandemic. “Kung ako lang makakatulong, I want to organize. Bakit gusto kong gawin? Bakit kailangan i-organize? Kasi doon nakabatay iyong safety natin as a country (If I could only help, I want to organize it. Why do I want to do it? Because our safety as a country is at stake),” she said. The vice president did not mince words against the administration for its lack of system in addressing the virus outbreak. Robredo cited the plight of returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who had to endure the delays and inefficiencies in coronavirus testing and stuck in mandatory two-week quarantine periods and were forced to hustle just to get home. She also pointed out an apparent discrepancy of 7,000 cases in the official COVID-19 data and the government’s inability to communicate clearly to the public amid the health crisis. “Iyong feeling ko, sobrang working in silos iyong ating mga agencies, medyo disorganized (I feel our agencies are working in silos, they are quite disorganized),” she said. “I think very disorganized talaga iyong nagko-cause ng frustration sa akin (They being very disorganized causes my frustration), how they are doing things, that it can be done differently,” Robredo added. But instead of dwelling on this issue, the vice president focused on how her office can be of help in the ongoing efforts against COVID-19. “Ang pinaka-lesson nito, ang daming limitations, ang daming frustrations, pero hindi siya sagabal sa atin (The main lesson here, despite the limitations and frustrations, it is not a hindrance) on what we can do and what we want to do,” she said. “We won’t allow the limitations to paralyze us. We are trying to be very nimble. Kung saan kami kailangan dun kami pupunta (where we are needed, we would step in),” Robredo stressed.
Vice-President Leni Robredo(Mark Balmores / MANILA BULLETIN) Speaking at the Usapang EveryWoman, Robredo shared how she was frustrated over what Filipinos, especially those workers returning from abroad, are going through in this time of pandemic. “Kung ako lang makakatulong, I want to organize. Bakit gusto kong gawin? Bakit kailangan i-organize? Kasi doon nakabatay iyong safety natin as a country (If I could only help, I want to organize it. Why do I want to do it? Because our safety as a country is at stake),” she said. The vice president did not mince words against the administration for its lack of system in addressing the virus outbreak. Robredo cited the plight of returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who had to endure the delays and inefficiencies in coronavirus testing and stuck in mandatory two-week quarantine periods and were forced to hustle just to get home. She also pointed out an apparent discrepancy of 7,000 cases in the official COVID-19 data and the government’s inability to communicate clearly to the public amid the health crisis. “Iyong feeling ko, sobrang working in silos iyong ating mga agencies, medyo disorganized (I feel our agencies are working in silos, they are quite disorganized),” she said. “I think very disorganized talaga iyong nagko-cause ng frustration sa akin (They being very disorganized causes my frustration), how they are doing things, that it can be done differently,” Robredo added. But instead of dwelling on this issue, the vice president focused on how her office can be of help in the ongoing efforts against COVID-19. “Ang pinaka-lesson nito, ang daming limitations, ang daming frustrations, pero hindi siya sagabal sa atin (The main lesson here, despite the limitations and frustrations, it is not a hindrance) on what we can do and what we want to do,” she said. “We won’t allow the limitations to paralyze us. We are trying to be very nimble. Kung saan kami kailangan dun kami pupunta (where we are needed, we would step in),” Robredo stressed.