Former Vice President Leni Robredo. Noy Morcoso / 黑料社 FILE PHOTO
For the first time since she stepped down as vice president in 2022, Leni Robredo spoke on Thursday at an event organized by a government agency under the Marcos administration and expressed openness to a collaboration to raise awareness on mental health issues.
As the keynote speaker at the Department of Science and Technology鈥檚 (DOST) first national mental health research symposium, Robredo referred to officials of the agency鈥檚 Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) and mental health experts as people 鈥渨ho, like me, want what鈥檚 best for the country.鈥�
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鈥淚t is an honor to be invited in this very important conversation and to take part in the collective efforts to change the landscape of mental health in our country,鈥� said Robredo, now president of the nongovernment organization (NGO) Angat Pinas Inc.
The NGO, which seeks to harness the energies of partners, volunteers and supporters to empower Filipino communities, especially the marginalized, was formed after she ran and lost to then former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the 2022 presidential elections.
Jaime Montoya, DOST-PCHRD executive director, explained why they invited Robredo to be the keynote speaker in their symposium with the theme, 鈥淧aglilinaw sa mga Alingawngaw (Clarifying the Noise): Breaking Stigmas in Mental Health through Research and Development.鈥�
READ: Robredo: Rare force and flair of 鈥榓 people鈥檚 campaign鈥�
鈥淎 simple answer to that question is, even before she became the vice president, she was already very much involved in programs related to mental health and, especially, the services to the community,鈥� Montoya told reporters.
DOST Undersecretary for Research Leah Buendia, for her part, stressed that 鈥渟cience is beyond politics.鈥�
鈥淚f you want to help someone through science and technology, it has to be beyond politics. Regardless of who you are, as long as you can help through science and technology, it鈥檚 a big help,鈥� she said.
Bayanihan e-Konsulta
In her speech, Robredo recalled that one of her projects as vice president was the free 鈥渢eleconsultations鈥� or 鈥淏ayanihan e-Konsulta,鈥� which assisted individuals infected with COVID-19 during the pandemic.
At the time, she said they also received requests for mental health assistance amid the pandemic and extended lockdown.
According to Robredo, her office was 鈥渇ortunate鈥� to receive help from mental health professionals who offered their services 鈥渇ree of charge鈥� to 1,235 people who requested assistance.
Despite this, she acknowledged the difficulties they faced in providing mental health services since these required longer and more focused interventions.
鈥淭his persistent need and the intricacies of the interventions it requires has inspired us to focus Bayanihan e-Konsulta on bringing mental health services to as many communities as possible,鈥� she said, hoping to launch the project before the end of the second quarter.
Robredo said that Angat Pinas was willing to collaborate with the government, particularly with the DOST鈥檚 PCHRD, to bring mental health care to as many Filipinos as possible.
鈥淏ecause if we do this separately, it can result in many duplications and it will leave a lot of gaps which are not filled,鈥� she explained.