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Robredo says 18-hour work done 'para walang maiwan sa laylayan'
By LLANESCA T. PANTI,GMA NewsVice President and presidential candidate Leni Robredo on Sunday said that her work day could run up to 18 hours to ensure that progress and development redound to the benefit of everybody.
Robredo did not name names but a video posted last week by Senator Imee Marcos on her Facebook page showing her having coffee with friends has been getting flak. In the caption for the video post, Marcos wrote that "anyone who claims to work 18 hours a day is either lying or stupid," quoting the graphics at the end of the video. Marcos however wrote that the video "is not a political content."
Robredo recounted the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) performance as a unit which earned the highest rating
from the Commission on Audit, as well as recognition for their human resources management, among others."Para po sa inyo talaga, sinisipagan namin. Alam po natin na marami tayong kailangang trabahuhin. Pero iyong binibigay niyong pagmamahal, iyon ang nagbibigay sa amin ng lakas. Araw-araw, more than 18 hours kami magtatrabaho," she said before a large crowd of supporters that packed the Quezon Memorial Circle on Sunday morning.
(For all of you, we are working hard. We know that we have a lot to do, but the love you extend to us gives us strength. Every day, we work more than 18 hours.)
"Ipinakita po namin sa OVP na kahit maliit iyong kapangyarihan na binigay sa amin, ang trabahong binigay sa amin, talaga pong 18 hours a day. Dahil sa aming resibo [ng pagtatrabaho], may tiwala sa aming opisina. Mahalaga ito dahil ang gobyerno, hindi niya kayang sagutin ang lahat ng problema ng lipunan. Masasagot lang 'yan 'pag katuwang ang ordinaryong mamamayan. 'Yan ang klase ng pamahalaan na ipinapangako namin: sisiguruhin namin na kami ay malinis, matapat at mahusay para walang maiiwan sa laylayan," she added.
(We at the OVP have shown that even if we have limited power, our work can really reach up to 18 hours a day. Because of the fruits of our work, our office has gained the trust of the public. This is important because the government cannot solve all the problems of society. These will only be solved with the help of the ordinary citizen. This is the kind of administration we promise: we will ensure that we are honest, truthful, and excellent so no one will be left behind.)
On Saturday, presidential candidate Leody de Guzman condemned Marcos' video, saying the senator may not have known what it is like to work.
GMA News Online has contacted Senator Marcos for comment but has yet to receive a reply.
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Crowd
Robredo then expressed appreciation to the audience for being there on Sunday at Quezon Memorial Circle.
The presidential candidate said she initially expressed reservation when her team said it was expecting the crowd at the Quezon City event to reach 5,000. She thought they might not hit the target. The team however, said the crowd may even reach 10,000 to 20,000.
The vice president then said the crowd attendance on Sunday exceeded her expectations.
"Pero ngayong araw, lampas lampas po ng 20,000. Ito ang mga taong nagdesisyon na panahon na para gamitin natin ang ating kapangyarihan na mabago ang takbo ng ating pamahalaan," Robredo said.
(But today, the crowd is over 20,000. These are the people who decided that it is time to use their power to change the way the government runs things.)
Prior to the event, the vice president met with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and the city councilors.
Belmonte, however, did not join the main event even if the city councilors endorsed Robredo. One of the councilors, Peachy de Leon, wore a pink T-shirt printed with the words "May Joy Kay Leni".
Robredo's trip from Quezon City Hall to the Quezon City Memorial Circle took one hour because of the many supporters who welcomed her to the venue.
Quezon City has 1.4 million voters for Eleksyon 2022 based on Commission on Elections records. —KG, GMA News