Robredo unveils COVID-19 recovery plan that focuses on health care system, financial aid, reopening of schools

Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday unveiled her COVID-19 recovery plan—which focuses on strengthening the health care system, financial aid, and the reopening of schools to help the country emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic—if she wins the 2022 presidential election.

In a video shared on her Facebook page, the presidential aspirant said she felt the “endurance, suffering, and mourning” of her fellow Filipinos as the country continues to battle against COVID-19 pandemic for almost two years.

“Kahit na bumaba ang cases, huwag tayong kampante. Para mas mapabilis ang ating tuluyang paglaya sa COVID, ang kailangan: Klaro, malawakan, strategic, at mapagpalayang tugon. Ito ang ating Kalayaan sa COVID Plan,” the vice president underscored.

(Even if the cases have gone down, let us not be complacent. To continue on our path to freedom from COVID-19, we need a clear, comprehensive, strategic, and liberating response. This is our Kalayaan sa COVID Plan.)

1. Kalayaan sa Pangambang Magkasakit (Freedom from sickness)

Robredo said first on her list is strengthening the health care system, the proper compensation of the healthcare workers, and mass vaccination:

• Libre at accessible na healthcare. [Free and accessible healthcare.]
• Libreng konsulta gamit ang teknolohiya. [Free consultation through technology.]
• Bawat barangay may sapat na kagamitan at may sariling nurse. Bibigyan natin ng sapat na kakayahan ang mga nurse, doktor, barangay health worker, at iba pang medical frontliner. [Each barangay adequately equipped and has its own nurse. We will provide adequate capacity to nurses, doctors, barangay health workers, and other medical frontliners.]
• Ayusin ang PhilHealth. Mabilis na proseso para makuha agad ang claim. [Fix PhilHealth so that claims will be quickly processed.]
• Bakuna para sa lahat. Papadaliin ng gobyerno para makadating ang bakuna sa iyo. [Vaccination for all. Government should make it easier for vaccines to get to you.]

2. Kalayaan sa Gutom (Freedom from hunger)

Next on Robredo's list is financial support for Filipinos, including financial support during lockdowns, aid to small businesses, and sufficient support for farmers and fishermen:

• Kung may lockdown, may agarang ayuda. [In a lockdown, there should be immediate aid.]
• Itigil ang malawakang lockdown: dapat ang lockdown, targeted. [Stop widespread lockdown: lockdowns should be targeted.]
• Protektado ang trabaho. [Jobs should be protected.]
• Suportang pinansyal sa maliliit na negosyo para hindi kailangang mag-layoff. [Financial support for small businesses so that they will not need to lay off staff.]
• Unemployment insurance, para ang mawawalan ng trabaho, may tulong na makukuha sa gobyerno. [Unempoyment insurance, so that those who lose their jobs will receive help form the government.]
• Tulungan ang mga magsasaka at mangingisda. Palakasin ang agrikultura. Gawing sapat ang suporta para mapalago ang kabuhayan ng mga mangingisda at magsasaka. [Help the farmers and the fishermen. Strengthen agriculture and give sufficient support to fishermen and farmers so that there livelihoods will flourish.]
• Tiyakin na may pagkain ang bawat Pilipino. [Ensure that there is food for every Filipino.]

3. Kalayaan sa kakulangan sa edukasyon [Freedom from lack of education]

The third item in Robredo's plan is ensuring that the youth have access to education. "Kung walang katiyakan ag edukasyon, kabado rin tayo. Ano na ang natutuhan ng ating mga anak? Paano sila maihahanda para sa kinabukasan?" [If there is no certainty in education, we are also concerned. What will our children learn? How can we prepare them for the future?]

• Buksan ang eskwelahan sa low-risk areas. [Reopen schools in low-risk areas.]
• Gadget para sa mga estudyante sa high-risk areas [Provide learning gadgets and internet load to children in high-risk areas.]
• Dagdagan ang community learning hubs, kung saan ang teacher at estudyante may access sa internet at gamit pang edukasyon [Add more community learning hubs, where teachers and students have access to the internet and learning tools.]

Expansion of programs already in place

Robredo noted that many of the solutions she is offering are already in operation through the Office of the Vice President.

“Marami dito, matagal na nating iminungkahi at nagpatakbo na tayo ng mga programa. Panahon na para maipatupad ang mga ito nang malawakan para higit nating mabawasan ang pagdurusa at pagluluksa,” the vice president said.

(Many of these, we have long proposed and we already have these programs in operation. It is time to implement them more widely so that we can further reduce suffering and grief.)

Robredo said she came up with the recovery plan by consulting experts and sectors, and by witnessing the experiences of the Filipinos during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She underscored that these measures will be implemented with the sufficient resources of the national government.

“Kayang ipatupad ito gamit ang resources at makinarya ng pambansang gobyerno. Kailangan na nating tuluyang makalaya. Para tayo’y makahinga muli,” she added.

(It can be implemented using the resources and machinery of the national government. We need to be completely free. So that we can breathe again.)

The vice president also encouraged the public to visit lenirobredo.com for more details on her “Kalayaan sa COVID-19 plan.”

Robredo, who will be running as an independent candidate, filed her COC hours after she announced that she will be gunning for the presidency next year. — BM, GMA News