One rainy afternoon, the VP drops in for a visit

It was an ordinary rainy day in Barangay North Bay Boulevard South in Navotas City on Wednesday. A mother of six named Nanay Judith Salarda sat inside her cramped shelter, listening to the raindrops hitting the tin roof. With weather like that, there was nothing else to do but daydream, an activity that takes her away from the present, she said.

Life has been hard for people like Nanay Judith. She previously owned a sari-sari store. Today she makes fishball and kikiam for a living. Her husband, a dried seafood dealer, is about to lose his job because the company has gone bankrupt.

But that otherwise ordinary afternoon brought a few surprises to Nanay Judith and other residents in the barangay. Unannounced, Vice President Leni Robredo showed up at her doorstep, it made Nanay Judith feel like a lucky guest in a noontime show where the celebrity hosts do surprise visits to communities, and bring an array of gifts.

Nanay Judith had one request: “We asked the Vice President if she could give us capital so we could sell again and send our four children to school,” she said in Filipino.

The Vice President’s visit was part of her Metro Laylayan program which she conducts twice a month to bring her closer to the people to hear their stories and learn how government can help them.

Her presence got a warm welcome from the enthusiastic crowd who said they were surprised to see a national government official visiting a poor barangay like theirs. The occasion called for many photos with the Vice President, and warm embraces despite the tight security.

“She is the only high government official who does this kind of visit,” one of the residents told the Manila Bulletin.

VP Leni’s visit brought a lot of pleasant surprises. The Salarda family received groceries from Robredo’s office and its Angat Buhay partner Democratic Alliance Movement of the Philippines-International (DAMPI). Nanay Judith’s three children were also provided with nebulizers for their asthma.

And VP Leni expressed her intention to aid the family in reopening their sari-sari store.

Aside from gifts, the group with the Vice President also brought legal advice to those who needed it. The groups for that purpose were the Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas Chapter.