MANILA, Philippines – Liberal Party vice presidential candidate and Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo has vowed to continue working for the welfare and empowerment of Filipino women.
Robredo said she has been working for the promotion of women’s rights, protection of children and the implementation of livelihood programs for the poor long before she became a member of Congress in 2013.
“We (women) can achieve many things. Let’s not think that we’re weak. I’m running for vice president and the fight is seen to be difficult because my rivals are men. But since we’re women, we are strong and we can fight all the difficulties we’re going through,” Robredo said during a women’s convention in Pagadian City.
As a lawyer, she recalled the difficulties faced when defending women from wife beaters and other domestic abusers, adding that many of the victims refused to file complaints or chose to return to their offending husbands because they have no means of income or refuse to leave their children.
“Sometimes, I see my former clients in a mall in Naga City and they seem sweet with their spouses that beat them up, but their husbands look at me as if they want to hurt me also because they’re mad at me,” she said.
When her late husband and former Local Government Sec. Jesse Robredo was mayor, the city council passed an ordinance that allocates 10 percent of the local budget for women’s concerns.
She lamented though that many failed to participate in women’s empowerment trainings because of the distance from homes to training centers and the need to care for their children.