Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She was the wife of the late Jesse Robredo, who was interior secretary from 2010 until his death in 2012.
Robredo has spearheaded multiple programs in the Office of the Vice President (OVP); her flagship anti-poverty program, Angat Buhay (lit. 'Uplifting Lives'), has helped address key areas including education, rural development, and healthcare, in partnership with more than 300 organizations.
Robredo has spearheaded multiple programs in the Office of the Vice President (OVP); her flagship anti-poverty program, Angat Buhay has helped address key areas including education, rural development, and healthcare, in partnership with more than 300 organizations.
Leni Robredo's ANGAT BUHAY FOUNDATION
Angat Buhay Foundation, incorporated as Angat Pinas, Inc., is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in the Philippines. It was founded and officially launched on July 1, 2022, a day after its founder Leni Robredo's term as Vice President of the Philippines expired.
The foundation aims to continue the anti-poverty and pandemic response programs started during Robredo's tenure as vice president, which all went under the same umbrella name of "Angat Buhay". The foundation is focused on four key areas: health, education, food security, and disaster risk response. It was launched with a two-day street party and art exhibit, the proceeds from which were made part of the foundation's program funds. On June 30, 2022, the foundation announced that its first project would be a dormitory for the indigent students of Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) in Quezon.
In July 2022, a statement by the Ateneo de Manila University announced that a new species of water scavenger beetle, discovered in Ifugao by Enrico Gerard Sanchez, will be named after Angat Buhay's anti-poverty program with the scientific name Anacaena angatbuhay.
The Angat Buhay program focuses on six key advocacy areas, namely: public education, rural development, food security and nutrition, women empowerment, universal healthcare, and housing and resettlement.
Leni Robredo's Impact
Robredo ran in Camarines Sur's 3rd congressional district during the Philippine general elections of 2013. On May 16, 2013, she was proclaimed winner, beating Nelly Favis-Villafuerte (of Nationalist People's Coalition/United Nationalist Alliance), wife of former Congressman Luis Villafuerte and member of the politically powerful Villafuerte dynasty.
Robredo delivering a speech during an LP campaign rally in Quezon City, February 17, 2016
During her term in congress, Robredo was the vice chairman of the House committees on good governance, public accountability, and revision of laws, and a member of 11 other house panels.[36] She was known for being a strong advocate of the Freedom of Information Act, and a strong supporter of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.
Participatory governance and transparency were the major objectives and thrusts of Robredo's legislative agenda. The first law Robredo authored in congress was the Full Disclosure Policy Bill (HB 19), which would have mandated all government agencies and their sub-units and projects to disclose their budget and financial transactions in a conspicuous manner "without any requests from the public." Concerned that the marginalized sector should not be denied access to government frontline services and public meetings based on their attire, she sponsored the Open Door Policy Act (House Bill No. 6286), which prohibits government offices and agencies from implementing strict dress codes.
Robredo also authored the People Empowerment Bill (HB 4911), which sought to allow more participation from Filipinos in decision and policy-making, and the Participatory Budget Process Bill (HB 3905), which sought to increase participation in budget-related decisions in government projects by locals. She also wrote the Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Bill (HB 3432) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion or belief, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, language, disability, HIV status, etc.
To promote transparency in the taxation process, she sponsored the house version (House Bill 05831) of what would eventually become Republic Act RA10708, the Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act of 2009 (TIMTA).
Other major legislation co-authored by Robredo includes the Anti-Dynasty Bill and the Healthy Beverage Options Act (House Bill 4021)
As a member of the 16th Congress, Robredo was one of the principal authors of the house version of "The Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act (TIMTA)" (Republic Act RA10708, House Bill 05831), which was enacted on December 9, 2015. She also co-authored the house version of the following laws: the “National Children’s Month Act,” Republic Act RA10661 (HB01641) enacted on May 29, 2015, declaring the celebration of the national children's month on November of every year; the "Charter of the Quezon City Development Authority," Republic Act RA10646 (HB03899), lapsed into law on November 8, 2014; the "Open High School System Act," Republic Act RA10665 (HB04085) enacted on July 9, 2015, establishing and appropriating funds for the open high school system; Republic Act RA10638 (HB04089), extending the corporate life of the Philippine National Railways for another 50 years, enacted on June 16, 2014; Republic Act RA10707 (HB04147), amending the "Probation Law of 1976" enacted on November 26, 2015, rationalizing and strengthening the probation system; the "Graphic Health Warnings Law," Republic Act RA10643 (HB04590), enacted on November 15, 2014, prescribing the printing of graphic health warnings on tobacco products; Republic Act RA10655 (HB05280), decriminalizing premature remarriages, enacted on March 13, 2015; and the "Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act.of 2015," Republic Act RA10742 (HB06043), enacted on January 15, 2016.
Sources
Leni Robredo - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni_Robredo
Angat Buhay - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angat_Buhay
Photo #1 - https://www.dw.com/en/philippine-vice-president-leni-robredo-on-working-with-president-duterte/a-40905113
Photo #2 - https://www.lenirobredo.com/
Photo #3 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni_Robredo