Vice President and presidential bet Leni Robredo is set to file a petition with the Commission on Elections to allow her to pursue her office’s COVID-19 response programs even during the campaign period, to ensure the projects would not be impeded especially amid the threat of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Robredo said the Office of the Vice President will continue with their COVID-19 response programs with help from the private sector. But she lamented that the official campaign period could hamper their COVID-19 response.
She disclosed that the OVP is planning to petition the Comelec to allow the continuity of her programs.
“The only problem that we see as of now is, since I am the head of the office and am running in the elections, and by February 8, it’s the official campaign period already. So, we would like to ask… We are preparing a petition asking that we be allowed to continue the office’s programs,” she said.
But she promised not to visit the areas of their programs.
“However, I wish that they would let us continue the programs, especially for COVID-related operations, such as Vaccine Express, the Swab Cab, the Bayanihan E-Konsulta, even if it’s the campaign period already. Because we need that. So, I wish the office would be allowed to do that,” Robredo said.
Meanwhile, if elected as the next President, Robredo said Thursday her administration will widen access to cadetship programs for Filipino seafarers, which will allow them to be promoted to officers and increase their income.
“What is the data now? There are one million Filipino seafarers, but those who are officers, based on my discussions with their representatives, their estimate is that only 120,000 out of the one million are officers. As it is, there are few opportunities for them to undergo a cadetship program due to lack of government support,” Robredo said during the COVID-19 Vaccine Express in Pasay City for seafarers.
“The pay gap between officers and non-officers is huge. If the government will support our seafarers by providing them access to cadetship program in our schools, they will now be qualified to be an officer. More cadetship programs will mean more officers from Filipino seafarers’ ranks,” she added.
The Vice President shared that her office had a project providing a cadetship program in Bulan, Sorsogon back in 2018, and that 72 Filipino seafarers finished that program since.
“About 80% of a Filipino seafarer’s salary is remitted to their families. As it is, their remittance accounts for almost US$8 billion a year. If more Filipino seafarers become officers, their salary will double or even triple, and we will be able to enlist more,” she pointed out.
“Bulan is a small town. Imagine if every small town will have 72 graduates of cadetship program, they will all become officers. We really have a big potential here,” Robredo added.