POLA, Oriental Mindoro, Jan. 23 (PIA) - Her Excellency Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo led the distribution of solar kits and the inspection of the shallow tube well projects in the Municipality of Pola, Province of Oriental Mindoro.

The Office of the Vice President's (OVP) Angat Buhay Program in partnership with Team Energy Foundation, Inc. (TEFI) awarded the 45 solar kits in Barangay Misong and Tagumpay in Pola. The "Light-A-Home" project, a fundraising concept that provides lights and access to electricity to families living below the poverty line in rural communities. So far, Angat Buhay and TEFI have lit up 1,777 homes in the country.

In her talk to local officials and residents, the Vice President committed to continue giving solar kits to remote unelectrified communities through the Angat Buhay program with the assistance of Team Energy.

Another project granted in LGU Pola through the OVP's Bridging Leadership Program is the provision of funds for the installation of 21 units of shallow tube wells (STW) for Small Scale Irrigation Project (SSIP) in Barangay Casiligan. Rice production, the flagship program of LGU Pola aims to help farmers increase their income through increase in yield by installation of pipes irrigation system with open source of water. The 21 units of STW will benefit sixty (60) farmers' beneficiaries of Rambutan-Catmon (RAMBUCAT) Farmer's Association.

RAMBUCAT President, James Salvacion expressed, "We are very thankful to Vice President Leni Robredo, it has been decades since we only rely for rain to help us in our farming. Through the Angat Buhay program she has provided our farmers with 21 units of Shallow Tube Wells. It will be of great help among the 60 farmers in Sitio Catmon especially during dry season wherein there is lack of water and the provision of irrigation for open source water will increase our production of palay."

In addition, Vice President also mentioned about her priority project in Ilin Island in Occidental Mindoro. The project will provide a dormitory for college students who travel back and forth daily to the mainland from Ilin in San Jose.

"Angat Buhay is committed to fill in the lapses in government efforts. To date, we are helping 197 communities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The Office of the Vice President will work out for rural communities that are far from progress and are not usually reached by government's assistance", Robredo said. (LC/PIAMimaropa/Calapan)