An honest review: Why VP Leni won in her address

by Elton Gagni / August 28, 2020

In times of crisis, communication plays a vital role. From identifying the problem to providing solutions and next steps, calmness and clarity make the difference between order and chaos.

Recently, many have been lauding Vice President Leonor “Leni” Gerona Robredo for the address she delivered last August 24, 2020. A lot of people visibly agree that what VP Leni did during her speech can be summed up in three words: Compassionate. Data-driven. Transparent.

To better appreciate VP Leni’s address, we opted to break it down:

Content

Given the impact of the pandemic on the Philippines from the economy down to its people, VP Leni addressed the nation with a direct, data-driven, and transparent speech. She identified challenges that many Filipinos face and lobbied for the government to do better by having an effective and efficient response to the health crisis.

VP Leni also provided key recommendations to properly counter these challenges such as the use of technology in dealing with the pandemic, improved financial assistance programs, better opportunities for the unemployed, support for small businesses and the agricultural sector, and even better digital infrastructure for effective learning and nation-building.

Read also: Highlights of Vice President Leni Robredo’s Address

Language

VP Leni delivered her address in Filipino, rather than in English. We believe this was primarily in consideration of the majority of the Philippine population who are more accustomed to hearing a familiar language compared to a foreign one. It was crystal clear that she wanted to communicate her message especially to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable, the marginalized sector.

While it may be alienating to non-Filipino or non-Tagalog speakers, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) released a full transcript of her address in Filipino and a full English translation. To help make her address more inclusive, the OVP team also uploaded an English subtitled version for more people to see and understand.

Tone and Manner

What many also appreciate from VP Leni’s address was the way she delivered her speech. She was calm, her voice was clear, and she appeared credible and motherly. It was also apparent how firm she was in her stance as she enumerated challenges and delivered point-by-point recommendations. Many even compared her commanding aura to country leaders who are also women and are doing right by their people, truly making her presidential in her own way.

Overall Aesthetic

Because she was addressing the entire nation, it was only apt that the focus should be on VP Leni herself. No shifting camera angles and no glaring or distracting objects anywhere in the frame. Aside from the Philippine Flag and the Flag of the Vice President, she only had a black folder, some pens, and a highlighter on her right, and her phone and a stack of books on her left — basically simple objects to fill in the empty spaces.

(Some eagle-eyed netizens were also able to identify that the books featured were: Thinking Beyond Politics, The Intangibles that Make a Great Nation, The Constitution, and The Struggle for Democracy.)

It was a simple office setup to highlight what mattered most, VP Leni, her address to the nation, and for the Filipino to watch and listen intently to what she was about to say. But in the true spirit of Philippine politics and in the age of social media, such a simple setup did not escape the watchful eye of the Vice President’s critics. They were quite quick to start nitpicking, focusing on mindless things like the inanimate objects in the frame, even as far as VP Leni’s own clothes, hairstyle, and eyeglasses.

Wit and Elegance

While irrational comments would be easy to brush off, especially for a public figure like the Vice President herself, many were caught off guard by her next move. Two days after her address, VP Leni released a post on social media, somewhat saddened that critics focused on her appearance over the content of her speech. Nonetheless, she took a brief moment off her busy schedule to indulge them.

She proudly shared that the dress she wore during her address was actually made by homegrown Filipino brand BAYO, even using the opportunity to promote #supportlocal. She further explained the brand is also the OVP’s partner in designing and creating reusable Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for frontliners battling COVID-19 in the Philippines.

As if it wasn’t enough, VP Leni simply explained that she tied her hair because it was already too long and it was easier to wear a face mask this way. For her glasses, well, she’s been wearing them for a long time, and she keeps them on more so now for safety purposes.

Critics will always have a lot to say, whether you do good or bad. But what VP Leni has proven in the last five months is that people also have the option and capability to act, help, and be of service to the country the best way possible. Regardless if it gets traction in the media or not, she continues to use her platform to provide help where it is needed and offer concrete plans and science-based solutions.

Ultimately, VP Leni is rallying people to come together, work together, and progress together with the common goal of conquering the pandemic and helping many Filipinos who are struggling, especially in this challenging time.