VP Leni: Every Pinoy has a role in country’s future

Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni “Robredo believes that the country’s future lies in the hands of all Filipinos and it does not depend on one great leader alone.

At the 22nd St. Paul Leadership Congress, Robredo emphasized that everyone needs to take part and make valuable contributions in order to effect change in the country.

“Every one has a role; every one has a contribution. Change at the individual level— collectively sustained—creates a much more permanent and widespread revolution of thought, ideas, and behavior,” she told student leaders from various Paulinian schools at St. Paul College in Pasig City.

Robredo, who was a pro bono lawyer for the marginalized sector, likened her message for the youth delegates to the philosophy behind her antipoverty flagship project.

“It is about working together with the government and the private sector to reach out and help those who experience problems firsthand,” she said, referring to Angat Buhay.

In her speech, the Vice President lamented that empathy and compassion seemed to have gone out of style, with the “shift in the way leadership is now understood and practiced” around the world.

Robredo specifically mentioned that people at present “associate strong leadership with harsh behavior, brute force, and punitive action.”

“How do you feel about that? Mas malakas ba iyong boses ng leader, mas mahusay siyang leader? (If the leader has a louder voice, is he a better leader?)” she asked.

“So what kind of a leader do you think we need, to move forward as a nation? Are we willing to turn our backs on decency, respect for the rule of law, and the preservation of human life?” the former housing chief continued.

For the Vice President, she considers the gentlest of leaders are the strongest leaders.

“Kaya iyong basis niya talaga, mas (So the basis is really more on) empathy and compassion. If a leader is inspiring, then he is a good leader. If she urges other people to act more responsibly, then she is a better leader,” she stressed.

Robredo highlighted the role of the youth in nation-building, citing the young Americans who gathered in Washington, D.C to demand action against gun violence to prevent the occurrence of school shootings.

“It was proof that no matter how young or inexperienced you are, your voice will always count. Your actions will always count,” she said.