ILOILO – Vice President Leni Robredo visited several towns in Iloilo to bring assistance to communities.
On Monday she personally saw the operation of two of her office’s Community Learning Hubs (CLH) in the towns of Tigbauan and Santa Barbara.
During her visit, partners and volunteers shared how the CLH made distance learning easier for students, especially with volunteer tutors in the hub helping them with their modules.
Robredo underscored the importance of putting up learning hubs amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Kasi ‘di ba walang face-to-face classes, nag-alala po kami sa mga bata na either [ang] magulang hindi available magturo sa kanila sa bahay or walang lugar sa bahay or difficult learners or non-readers… Kapag difficult learners, non-readers tapos walang tumutulong sa bahay, lalong maiiwan. [Iyong] mga CLHs all over the country nagke-cater sa ganoong klaseng learners, na at least mayroon silang napupuntahan once a week na may tutors available para natutulungan sila,” she said.
In San Joaquin town, Robredo met with the residents of Barangay Crossing Dapuyan whose households received toilet bowls from her office, through the local government’s Zero Open Defecation program. A total of 224 toilet bowl sets have been installed in the 85 barangays of San Joaquin.
The recipients thanked the Vice President for the assistance, sharing that having access to toilets in their homes helped their families.
Robredo also met the officers of Angat Kababaihan, Inc. (Akai) – a program of the municipality that received a silver award in the OVP’s Bridging Leadership Program, an initiative that strives to support and empower local leaders.
Robredo then went to Oton and Cabatuan towns to meet a group of farmers assisted by her office through the Angat Buhay program, including the Oton Farmers Producers Cooperative and the Pamuringao Proper, Pamuringao Garrido, Bacan & Morobuan (PAPABACAMO) Farmers Association.
Farmers told the Vice President how her office’s assistance helped in their production by making mechanized farm equipment available for rent.
On her second day in Iloilo, Robredo visited the Anilao Youth Center in Anilao town which received assistance through the Bridging Leadership Program of the Vice President.
She then proceeded to Carles town where she gave a message at the Alaskabuhayan Cooking Training and Demonstration – a partnership between OVP and Alaska Milk Corp. that aims to teach parents how to prepare nutritional meals for children.
She also paid a visit to Iloilo City, to check the ongoing construction of the Iloilo City COVID-19 Laboratory. Last year, the city government received a grant from Robredo’s office for the laboratory equipment.
Robredo’s last stop was in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, to meet with the convenors of Ahon Laylayan Koalisyon and hear them present projects that their sectors proposed, as well as the issues and concerns their communities are facing./PN