Robredo: VP should have bigger mandate to better serve Filipinos

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday said that the vice president should be given a bigger mandate to be able to do more to serve the people.

During the last episode of her weekly radio program, Robredo pointed out that the government's second highest official had limited duties, recalling that she only had to attend ceremonial programs and continue some of the existing programs turned over by the office of former Vice President Jejomar Binay, when she assumed office in 2016.

“Kailangan pag-isipan talaga kung papano mas bibigyan ng mas malaking mandato ‘yung Vice President kasi sayang. Kung halimbawa, hindi ka masyado naging creative, sayang ‘yung opisina. Ang huhusay pa naman ng mga tao sa Office of the Vice President,” she said.

(We need to think about how to give the Vice President a bigger mandate because it seems like such a waste if,  for example, s/he wasn't very creative. The people in the Office of the Vice President are talented.)

“Para sa’kin, kailangan pag-usapan siya, i-rebista kung papaano ba mabibigyan ng mas malaking pagkakataon, ng mas malaking espasyo para may magawa,” she added.

(For me, this needs to be discussed and see how more opportunities and more space could be given so that the Vice President could do something.)

Based on the Constitution, the Vice President is mandated to assume the presidency in case the President dies, has a disability, or resigns. The Vice President may also assume a cabinet position if offered by the President.

It could be recalled that Robredo was appointed as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) in November 2019, but she was removed from the post after just 18 days.

The Office of the Vice President then focused on other initiatives such as providing disaster relief and later on launched a free telemedicine platform in April 2021 to help patients with COVID-19 and other diseases get medical attention through teleconsultations.

Despite the setbacks Robredo faced under the Duterte administration, she said she had “no regrets.”

“Looking back, ‘yung lahat ng mga kahirapan na binigay sa amin, actually ‘yun ‘yung nagpahusay sa amin. Syempre, mas gugustusin namin mas madali, mas gugustuhin namin na kapag kailangan sana ng tulong ng opisina namin, tutulungan kami,” she said.

“Pero dahil hindi kami tinuring na kakampi, hindi kami na tinuring na bahagi ng pamahalaan, natuto kami na maghanap ng paraan. To my mind ‘yun ang nagpahusay sa amin kasi kapag mahirap ka nagiging mahusay ka eh. ‘Pag mahirap, naghahanap ka ng paraan,” she added.

(Looking back, I could say that all the difficulties we faced made us better. Of course, we would have wanted it to be easier and we would have wanted to receive help if our office needed help. However, because we were not considered allies and we were not considered part of the government, we learned to find a way. That’s what made us better because when it’s difficult you become better. When it’s difficult, you find a way.)

Robredo ran for the presidency during the recently concluded May 2022 elections. She trailed behind President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. with 14 million votes as compared to his 31 million votes.

Marcos’ running mate, Vice President-elect Sara Duterte, meanwhile, is set to lead the Department of Education (DepEd) under the next administration. — DVM, GMA News