Robredo tours Lanao del Norte, vows to maintain peace and order (Sabong News)

Presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday, March 31, went around Lanao del Norte carrying a message of maintaining the peace and order in Lanao del Norte because this will pave the way for more investments and jobs. Robredo began her tour in Tangcal, where she visited the Small Banisilon Farmers’ Association, whose virgin coconut oil processing facility was built with the help of her office. She talked with the familiarity of an old friend with the farmers, as she learned about the facility suffering from periodic power interruptions. “Wala ng problema? Sana tuluy-tuloy na. Kasi alam niyo, kailangan kasi pagtulungan natin na tahimik dito (There’s no problem anymore? I hope it will continue. Because you know, we need to work together for peace here),” she said. “Kasi, hindi tayo makaka-aya ng mag-i-invest dito kung magulo (Because we cannot invite investments here if there’s conflict),” the Vice President added. Despite Lanao del Norte being too far, Robredo believes that with enough investments, the province will attract businesses and create job opportunities. Coincidentally, there was a power interruption during her visit, which made her promise to look for a private partner to provide solar generators for the community so they can work efficiently. The aspiring president said this can be done even with the ban on spending since she’ll be tapping private partners. Right now, the community is using power generators, but Robredo lamented that this is not sustainable because gasoline prices have reached all-time high. This is the reason why it’s important for government officials like her to visit the communities in person. “Kasi halimbawa, kung hindi ako ngayon bumisita, hindi ko naman alam na problema niyo pala kuryente ‘di ba (Because, for example, if I did not visit today, I will not know that you have a problem in electricity right),” she said. “Kasi kung naghihintay lang kami sa opisina namin ng mga report report, na hindi naman namin kayo nakakausap, iba din ‘yung pag intindi namin (Because if we are just waiting in our office for the report report, that we don’t talk to you, we’ll have a different understanding),” she added. The community received P10-million worth of assistance for the virgin coconut oil (VCO) processing facility back in January 2020. The Office of the Vice President (OVP) also provided the facility processing training as sponsored by the Philippine Coconut Authority in 2018. Some P375,000 worth of equipment to process and produce VCO was also awarded in March 2018. Robredo also asked about education, promising to look into the possibility of bringing her late husband’s foundation’s reading program to the province to improve the literacy rate there. She also went to the Mindanao State University – Maigo School of Arts and Trades (MSU-MSAT), where she participated in the academic symposium entitled, “The Role of the Academe, Youth, Traditional Leaders in Nation Building,” where she stressed the role of education in creating opportunities for building better lives for all. In Maigo, the Vice President asked supporters to campaign not only for her, but also for her running mate Senator Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan, and their whole senatorial slate. She warned them against getting fooled by empty promises, especially during the campaign season. “Ang pakiusap ko lang po sa inyo, bago tayo magdesisyon tingnan natin noong wala pang eleksyon, eto bang kandidato tumutulong ba sila sa inyo (I am just asking you, before you make a decision, when there was no election did these candidates help you)?,” she asked. Robredo also reminded the audience that she had been to Lanao provinces several times because of her projects there. The presidential candidate and her team are on a two-day visit to Lanao provinces. She will visit Marawi City in Lanao del Sur on Friday, April 1.