Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo is taking her chances and visiting Marawi City today to personally check the status of the a relief operations of her office and its partners.

“We don’t know if we would be allowed to enter Marawi, but if not, we would just go to nearby areas, in Iligan,” Robredo said in her weekly hour-long radio program, “BISErbisyong Leni” aired over DZXL, yesterday.

The Vice President is set to fly to Mindanao for the second time after clashes erupted last month between government forces and the Maute Group. On May 29, Robredo visited wounded soldiers at Adventist Medical Center in Iligan City and went to the wake of those killed in action. She was also at the Maria Cristina Evacuation Center in Iligan.

This time, her trip falls on the observance of Eid’l Fitr, the culminating event of Ramadan. Robredo said her office wants to set up temporary learning centers in Iligan City and other adjacent areas.

“We already have donors. In fact, they donated chairs that are needed in schools. This is one of the reasons why we are going there. We want to look into how this would materialize as soon as possible,” said Robredo.

She stressed that the armed conflict in Marawi City should not be a hindrance for displaced students to continue their studies.

Marawi City is one of the areas selected by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for its “Angat Buhay” antipoverty program through convergence with private companies and other development partners.

Earlier this month, a team from the OVP traveled to war-ravaged Marawi City and extended livelihood program assistance and assessed how Angat Buhay partners can further help displaced families.

While the OVP team was in Marawi City, Robredo’s spokesperson Georgina Hernandez met with Mayor Majul Gandamra and other local officials to discuss the current relief efforts and rehabilitation plan.

“They were able to enter Marawi. They came from the provincial capitol and city hall. They inspected sites where temporary learning centers would be put up,” she said.

Unlike their previous trip, Robredo is unsure if she and her team can penetrate to Marawi because of the security protocol in place.

“But because of the incident where a member of the foreign media was shot by a sniper, civilians are not allowed again to enter Marawi,” she said.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Raymund Antonio

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