THE camp of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo on Tuesday dismissed criticism of her vacation in the United States amid the onslaught of Typhoon “Nina.”
Raffy Magno, advocacy and programs officer of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), said Robredo was monitoring the situation in the Philippines and had asked her team to assist in relief efforts.
“Even before the typhoon entered, Vice President Leni called for a coordination meeting with all her staff involved in relief operations in the Office of the Vice President to conduct initial assessment in damaged areas in coordination with local barangays (villages) and local government units,” he said in a television interview.
The vice president, he added, offered her home in Dayangdang, Naga City for the operations of disaster response teams.
Georgina Hernandez, spokeswoman for Robredo, said the OVP was also coordinating with private sector groups in Manila for donations of food and non-food items that could be transported to the Bicol region.
Robredo and her children are in the US for a family reunion, said Hernandez. The vacation was planned more than a year ago, she said.
No exact date was given for Robredo’s return, but Hernandez promised that the vice president would go to Naga as soon as she arrives.