By Cl. April Jerome Quinto, SDB

Calauan, the Philippines, 16 July 2016 -- Her Excellency Maria Leonor ‘Leni’ Robredo, Vice President of the Philippines and Chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, visited Southville 7, Site 2 more popularly known as Don Bosco Calauan, a resettlement area of the National Housing Authority in Laguna, a province south of Metro Manila.

At 11:35 AM, stakeholders and representatives of various organizations that help the communities under the care of Don Bosco Calauan welcomed Vice President Leni. Those who were represented were Ayala Foundation, Consuelo Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Gawad Kalinga, ABS-CBN Foundation, National Housing Authority, and the Local Government Unit of Calauan, Laguna. The vice president after the welcome pleasantries was given a tour to two livelihood and social entrepreneurship programs in the site: Tsaa Laya (literally, ‘tea freedom’, a facility that grows, harvests and packs local herbal teas) and Zeferin Shoes (a small shoe factory named after Blessed Zeferino Namuncúra).

After the tour, the leaders of the people’s organization, partner organizations and the Salesians gathered for a dialogue with the vice president. Among those who spoke was Fr. Salvador ‘Boy’ Pablo, SDB, Rector of DB Calauan. Fr. Boy presented the scenario and gave an overview of the on-going projects and interventions of the Salesians of Don Bosco and its partners. He shared that, “we are all here to face the situations that has been created by the circumstances, like the trauma of transferring from urban to rural... We have no problems. We have solutions. Ang aming inaasahan ay Pag-asa (We cling on Hope)... trust in God. There is one thing left in our hearts and that is hope. Nobody, nobody can take it away. When you came, VP Leni, you put smiles on our faces. When you return, you will find them there for you.”

In her response, the vice president re-echoed the message of Fr. Boy, recognized the healthy partnership of the national and local government, and the various organizations that support the community. She expressed her sincerest gratitude and reiterated the need for such partnership to continue.

Albeit short, the visit ended at 1:40 pm, the Salesians in DB Calauan remark the stark simplicity and humility of the vice president. With this courtesy visit, they are optimistic about the development in this part of Calauan which since 2009 has slowly become a piece of heaven on earth for about 6,000 families who have been relocated here from living in danger zones in Metro Manila and being displaced by natural calamities.

In case you are curious about Tsaa Laya you may know more about it here: http://www.rappler.com




NB, News by Cl. April Jerome Quinto, SDB with reports from Fr. Salvador Pablo, SDB, Fr. Rafael Galve, SDB, and Br. Joselito Dela Cruz, SDB. Photos from the Official Facebook Page of Vice-President Leni Robredo (https://web.facebook.com/LeniRobredoPH)

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