MANILA - Vice President Leni Robredo hopes for a solid Bicol vote in 2022 after a 5-day trip to Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon and Camarines Norte to visit projects of her office and her supporters.

Robredo, who is eyeing the country's top post next year, recalled that in the 2016 elections, four of her opponents were also from Bicol. For the 2022 elections, she is the lone presidential aspirant from the region.

She said she still has to work on bringing her message to the grassroots level.

“Ako, hindi naman sa nage-expect, pero nagho-hope ako. Nagho-hope ako kasi halimbawa noong 2016, sa anim na magkakalaban, lima kaming Bicolano. Pero kahit lima kaming Bicolano, ang laki ng nakuha kong boto dito. So ngayon na solo ako, pagta-trabahuhan ko,” said Robredo, who is from Camarines Sur.

(I'm not expecting but I'm hoping because for example, in 2016, out of 6 candidates, we were 5 from Bicol but I still got a lot of votes from here. So now that I'm a solo candidate, I will work harder.)

She said that being the lone Bicolano presidential aspirant, she does not feel entitled to a solid Bicol vote.

“Yung paniniwala ko, kailangang naiintindihan ng tao what it would mean for our region na magkaroon ng Bicolanong pangulo. So kailangang nagti-take time ako to explain to them na mahalaga ang laban na ito,” Robredo said.

(I believe people should understand what it would mean for our region to have a president from Bicol. So I really take the time to explain to them how important is this fight.)

She thanked her supporters who are spending their own money and offering their services for free such as designers of logos and other materials for her presidential bid.

“Para sa akin, sobrang heartwarming siya na makita na yung tao gumagastos, yung tao talagang naggo-go out of their way para maka-ambag,” she said.

(For me, it's so heartwarming to see people go out of their way to contribute.)

The official campaign period for the May 9, 2022 elections begins on Feb. 8, 2022 for national position candidates.

Other presidential aspirants have also started visiting provinces to touch base with local politicians and various sectors, and make their stand on certain issues known.

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Meanwhile, Robredo agreed with the proposal of former Commission on Elections Chairperson Christian Monsod for public vetting of nominees for the upcoming vacancies in the poll body.

“The more kasi na hindi binibigyan ng espasyo yung tao, the more na sini-sikreto sa kanya, the more na hindi transparent yung proseso. Nakakadagdag siya sa alinlangan,” she said.

(The more that people don't have space, that candidates are not transparent, the more people doubt.)

Robredo was in the town of Libmanan, Camarines Sur to distribute calamansi seedlings to farmer beneficiaries of a multi-agency project, involving her office, the Department of Agriculture, local governments and farmers organizations.

She said farmers were taught to adapt to the needs of restaurants within their area to ensure sustainability by planting specific crops.

“Uso dito sa amin yung parang pinakbet style na sa konting landholding, ang daming produkto na ginagawa... Ok siya kung ang purpose mo pang-konsumo lang ng pamilya. Pero kung commercial, hindi talaga,” Robredo said.

(It's common here for us to produce many products out of a small landholding... But that is fine if the purpose is to provide for the needs of a family. It's not for commercial purpose.)

Around 1,000 farmers and their families benefitted from the project that linked them with direct buyers and helped them attain higher yield, according to Robert Buayaban, leader of the farmer’s group.

“Dati po, tradisyunal na tinatanim namin, mayron po tayong season. Ang problema po, pagkatapos nating mag-harvest, tambak ang produkto. Wala na pong buyers. Nandiyan naman po ang buyer kasi off season, walang produkto. So, dito, yung pinag-aralan namin, kung ano ang kailangan ng merkado, siya po yung pinag-aaralan namin paano itanim,” Buayaban said.

(We used to plant based on the season. But the problem is, the products are not sold out after they are harvested. There are no buyers. If the buyers are there, we have no product. So, we looked into what the market needs and plant those.)

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