Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 17) — Vice President Leni Robredo said trust and good communication between different groups and agencies lead to a much better way of delivering public services to people and communities in need, especially in times of crisis.
“While COVID-19 will probably not be the last public health crisis we will have to face, we can make sure it’s the last one we will have to face unprepared,” she said in a speech on Thursday.
Trust, she said, was one the key components to effective leadership, adding she saw this when the Office of the Vice President held donation drives for typhoon victims, and for gadgets to be used by schoolchildren.
“Ang prerequisite lang ng outpouring of tulong na ito: Tiwala. Kaya parati kong sinasabi, trust is our only currency. Kasi para sa opisinang kagaya namin na wala naman masyadong resources, kung walang tiwala sa amin ‘yung tao wala talaga kaming magagawa dahil napakadami ng limitations. And we worked hard towards building that trust,” she said.
[Translation: The prerequisite for the outpouring of help was one thing: trust. That’s why I always say trust is our only currency. In an office like ours with limited resources, we would not be able to do anything if people didn’t trust us. And we worked hard towards building that trust.]
When leaders are able to gain the trust of their constituents, Robredo said they are able to influence them to follow protocols.
“A good, trustworthy, service-oriented government is the most powerful point of convergence pagdating sa [when it comes to] public health efforts,” she added.
She also said trust is related with being able to relay information properly and efficiently to those in the community.
“Tingin ko ito ‘yung naging problema natin on a larger scale ngayon; parang lahat naman ng ahensiya, ginagawa ‘yung kailangan nilang gawin, pero parang kanya-kanya ‘yung paggawa. Hindi ‘yon puwede… Dapat walang kanya-kanya… Lahat nag-aambagan towards a singular goal; lahat may understanding na bahagi sila ng isang bigger goal.,” she said.
[Translation: I think the problem in all agencies now is that they do what they need to do, but do it individually. That shouldn’t be the case. Everyone should work toward a singular goal; everyone should understand they are part of a bigger goal.]
Robredo delivered the message at the anniversary of an organization espousing good leadership in the country.
