Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 24) — Amid an impending impeachment complaint, Vice President Leni Robredo asked lawyers to give justice to the poor, since they are the most oppressed.
Read: Lawyers working on possible impeach rap vs. Robredo – DILG exec.
“If we as a people redirect our political will and resources to long-lasting solutions for poverty instead of the more divisive wars we are waging now, no one loses,” she said Thursday in a speech before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Convention.
She said some people have decided to “take freedom in their own hands,” and the victims are usually the poor.
Robredo, known for taking buses when she was still Naga representative, said her commitment to fight for the poor was strengthened when she was elected as the second highest official in the Philippines.
She even shared how she makes sure she gets to interact with ordinary people.
“Every week since my oath-taking in July, exactly 33 weeks by today, I replaced office attire for regular street clothes to go to the farthest and poorest municipalities in the country and see with my own eyes, and hear with my own ears, the plight of our people,” she said.
Robredo said some residents cried after seeing a national government official for the first time. The Vice President added she chose to visit conflict-ridden areas personally to experience the difficulties the people face.
“It would have been much easier for us to send a team to do interviews on the needs assessment and render us a report …As we let ourselves experience some of the difficulties they face…we bring the government down to the people, giving them hope that they have not been forgotten,” she said.
Dissent is our right and burden
Robredo, a staunch critic of the Duterte administration, also emphasized the importance of dissent even in the face of fake news and “post-truths.”
Read: Robredo: Dissenting voice but eyes not on presidency
“Our way of defending the Constitution and strengthening our institutions is to speak truth and show our people that there is nothing wrong with speaking dissent — that is our right and sometimes also our burden,” she said. “Our children’s children must see that our society does not silence anyone who believes they has something to tell.”
Robredo also said peace is not just about ridding the streets of crime.
“As the words ‘disruption’ and ‘planned chaos’ gain traction, humanity seems to be forgetting one thing: That social order is a value,” she said. “Peace is not just the absence of conflict or street crimes. Peace requires stronger institutions, the preservation of dignity, and the freedom to speak dissent. People cannot point to deserted streets and say that’s peace when we know better.”
CNN Philippines Digital Producer VJ Bacungan contributed to this report.
