Robredo meets PNP execs

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo met with top officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) last Monday.

The PNP said Robredo, who is running for president in the May 9 elections, met with police brass led by PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos for a security briefing and to discuss the police organization’s programs on peace and order.

Robredo thanked the PNP for the assistance that the police organization extended to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in carrying out its programs in many areas of the country.

She also thanked the PNP for its commitment to improve and strengthen its service to the country.

Robredo assured the PNP of her office’s readiness to provide any assistance to the organization in her remaining days as Vice President.

Meanwhile, Robredo yesterday rallied her supporters in Panay Island, urging them to work with her camp to ensure that the elections will not be decided based on lies.

“This is not like the previous elections because many people believe a lot of lies,” she told supporters during a sortie in Roxas City, Capiz.

“Let us work together to ensure that the truth will prevail over evil, because what we do not want to happen is for the elections to be decided because (people) believed on lies. We still have time, but we will not be able to do it if you will not fight alongside us,” she added.

In her speech, the Vice President maintained that the upcoming elections is not just a contest between the candidates, but “the kind of governance that we want for our country in the next six years.”

The Vice President urged voters to check the track record of the candidates, saying promises should be backed by “receipts” of what they have done.

She cited the projects she initiated at the OVP, including steps to professionalize its processes and ensure accountability in the use of funds.

“We have shown at the (OVP) that if the government is working for more than 18 hours a day, we can really provide a lot of services,” she said, in an apparent reference to detractors who questioned her earlier remark about her work hours.

Before meeting with supporters, Robredo met with Archdiocese of Capiz diocesan administrator Msgr. Cyril Villanueva and other members of the clergy.

The Vice President also spoke with members of the 3rd Infantry Division at Camp Gen. Macario Peralta Jr. in Jamindan, Capiz before traveling to Kalibo, Aklan.

Power coops

Organized electric cooperatives in the country rallied behind Robredo for “sincerely acknowledging the strategic significance of the energy sector in national economic development and the overall nation-building program.”

“Given the seemingly insurmountable challenges our country is encountering at present, we need a strong leader who knows what it takes to attain economic progress,” said Presley de Jesus, president of the 121-member Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association.

De Jesus, who is also an incumbent party-list representative, specifically cited Robredo’s advocacy to empower the electric cooperatives across the country by making them part of the policymaking process of the Department of Energy (DOE).

“As a gesture of our all-out support to her candidacy, we are putting up a headquarters for the Robredo-Pangilinan campaign in Isabela,” he added.

In her speech during a recent forum of the group, Robredo said “it is time” for electric cooperatives to have a voice in policymaking decisions of the government, specifically the DOE. – Janvic Mateo, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jose Rodel Clapano