Leni Robredo

A day after her term as vice president ended, Leni Robredo launched Angat Buhay, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) inspired by the spirit of volunteerism that propelled her presidential campaign. Initial funding for Angat Buhay programs—which will focus on health, education, disaster relief and response, and community engagement—will come from the sale of around 1,000 artworks, mostly Robredo portraits done and handed to her as gifts by supporters across the country. The story goes that the collection grew as the campaign season heated up, with many of the artists braving huge crowds and chasing motorcades just to personally give their work to her as she pressed flesh or spoke onstage. A great number of them have given permission for the foundation to sell the portraits, while there are some donors who are still being located. Prices range from P1,000 to P10,000. The NGO’s officers maintain that Angat Buhay was created to sustain the people’s volunteerism. Other gifts and memorabilia given to Robredo will be put on display in a museum called the “Museo ng Pagasa” (Museum of Hope) in Quezon City.