VP Leni vows: Mindanao a priority under a Robredo administration

‘Angat Buhay sa Seguridad’, her peace and order plan, follows ‘whole of nation approach’

Presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo has vowed to make Mindanao a priority under her administration, should she win in the May 9 elections, particularly on the issue of economic development and peace and security.

In her message at the Cotabato-Maguindanao People’s Rally on Wednesday, March 16, Robredo said that the bulk of the development projects of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) are in Mindanao, in places that needed them the most.

“[N]oong ako po nag-Vice President, ang concentration po ng mga proyekto ng Angat Buhay Program namin nandito po sa Bangsamoro. Sa Lanao Del Sur, marami po tayong programa. Ilang lugar sa Lanao Del Norte, marami tayong programa. Dito po sa Maguindanao, ilan po 'yung ating mga livelihood programs sa iba't ibang bahagi ng Maguindanao. Sa Basilan, Sa Sulu, Sa Tawi-Tawi, meron po tayong mga programa,” said Robredo.

More than 3,000 people gathered at the Cotabato State University for the people’s rally, and listened intently to their next President under the searing heat of the noontime sun. As in other rallies, Robredo’s supporters in Cotabato brought their handmade placards with their messages for her to read.

She may not have won in Mindanao in the 2016 vice presidential elections, but Robredo prioritized bringing projects to the places that needed them the most in the regions to help improve the lives of people.

“Lahat mahalaga; lahat tututukan ng puwersa ng gobyerno para masolusyonan ang problema,” Robredo said at the grand rally in General Santos City, on Tuesday evening March 15, before the thousands who stayed on for her despite the rains.

“Ang kailangan po natin ipalit: Matino, mahusay, masipag, at makataong pamamahala. Gobyernong agad na sasaklolo sa mga nangangailangan; handang pumunta kahit saan, kahit na anong oras; handang humarap sa kahit anong laban; walang itinatago, walang pagtataguan, walang aatrasan, kaya walang maiiwan. Gobyernong tapat na mag-aangat ng buhay ng lahat,” Robredo added.

She also emphasized the need to have a government with a “sense of urgency” because everyone’s needs must be attended to immediately.

“Dito mismo sa GenSan, noong kasagsagan ng COVID-19, mahaba ang listahan ng mga ospital at City Health Office na pinadalhan natin ng mga PPE at COVID test kits,” Robredo said.
If Robredo’s wins in the elections, she will be the country’s third female President and Commander-in-Chief who will lead the military and the entire security sector.

Robredo vows to adopt a whole of nation approach to maintain peace and order in Mindanao.

“Asahan n’yo: Para sa GenSan at sa buong Mindanao, prayoridad ang Angat Buhay sa Seguridad. Whole of Nation approach tayo sa terorismo, violent extremism, at insurgency,” she said. “Hindi lang tutugisin ang lawless elements; tututukan natin ang kalusugan, edukasyon, kabuhayan, at katarungan.

In order to do this, Robredo said her team will work on fully implementing the Madanas ruling that will increase funds to local governments, releasing them early and regularly, to spur economic development in communities.

The presidential aspirant’s four-day trip to the south has her barnstorming across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Central Mindanao, the Zamboanga Peninsula, and Zamboanga City, promising a clean, competent, and honest government, and a leadership that will ensure peace and security to the region.

Robredo met with BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, Minister for Education Basic, Higher, and Tertiary Education, Mohagher Iqbal, who is also the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief negotiator, and other Cabinet ministers.

She also met with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Muslimin Sema, and his wife, former Maguindanao-Cotabato Representative Bai Sandra Sema.

At the Cotabato City Hall, the Vice President was met by Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi.

Robredo also toured the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque, in Cotabato City. [End]