As the nation welcomes 2018, Vice President Leni Robredo wished the country a happy New Year and hoped Filipinos will always continue to be the “light of love and hope” to each other.

“Sa ating pagsalubong sa 2018, panalangin natin na patuloy na mamuhay ang liwanag ng pag-ibig at pag-asa sa puso ng bawat isa (In welcoming 2018, we pray the light of love and hope will continuously live in the hearts of everyone),” Robredo said in her radio program’s final episode for 2017.

“Marami tayong pagsubok na hinaharap at haharapin pa. Ngunit sa bawat komunidad na pinuntahan at sa bawat pamilya na ating nakasalamuha, naging saksi tayo sa katotohanan na ang bawat Pilipino ay tanglaw ng pag-asa

(We are facing many trials and we will even encounter more. But in every community we visited and every family we got to know, we witnessed the truth that every Filipino is the light of hope),” she added.

The last episode of Robredo’s weekly radio show, “BISErbisyong Leni,” featured her office’s accomplishments for the past year.

The Vice President continued to stay true to her promise to reach out to the poorest and farthest communities, with various visits made around the country—from the provinces to poor areas in Metro Manila, where her office brought various services under her Angat Buhay program.

Angat Buhay so far benefited 89,958 families from 176 communities nationwide. They received P176.4-million worth of assistance, from food packs, livelihood, classrooms, school supplies, to solar kits and generators, among others.

For the new year, the Vice President remains steadfast in her commitment to improve the lives of Filipinos on the fringes of society.

“Kaya’t ngayong 2018, nananatili tayong matatag at determinado sa ating adhikain na iangat ang ating mga kababayan mula sa kahirapan sa mapaghamong panahon tulad ngayon (So this 2018, we remain strong and determined in our advocacy to uplift the lives of our countrymen from poverty in these challenging times),” she said.

“Sandigan natin ang bawat isa, Patuloy natin pagsilbihan ang ating mga kababayan lalo na iyong mga nasa laylayan ng ating lipunan (Each one of us is our fortress. Let us serve our countrymen, especially those on the fringes of society),” the Vice President added.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Raymund Antonio

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