Vice President and presidential aspirant Leni Robredo called on residents here to help maintain the province’s image as a haven for peace and an attractive tourist destination.

Robredo issued the challenge as her supporters gathered downtown for the Leni-Kiko tandem’s campaign rally Wednesday evening at the Plaza Rizal here.

Robredo said she was glad to notice that the situation in the province has changed a lot, noting that residents can now go on beaches during weekends and bikers can freely go on biking trips throughout the province through the circumferential road.

“We dream that this situation will continue so that our ‘kababayans’ will be enticed to visit and see the beauty of your province,” Robredo said amid the cheering crowd.

Among the favorite places tourists frequently visit is the fine white sand beach on Malamawi Island in this city and the Calugusan and Palm beaches as well as the Bulingan Falls in Lamitan City.

The province, which comprises two cities and 11 towns, is also the home to several unexplored beaches. There are also inland resorts that visitors can enjoy during their stay in the province.

“The economy of the province will improve as well as your standard of living once many tourists are visiting here,” Robredo said.

Robredo is a frequent visitor of the province since her office has implemented various projects here, such as the cloth-weaving center in Lamitan City and the solar freezer for fisherfolks in this city.

She is the third presidential aspirant to visit the province during the campaign period. The last to visit here was then-Senator Jovito Salonga, who ran for president in the 1992 polls.

Robredo and her running mate, Senator Francis Pangilinan, advised residents of the province to vote wisely come May 9 national and local elections.

Meanwhile, Robredo, accompanied by Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman, visited and conducted a dialogue with the community Thursday morning in Barangay Marang-Marang in this city.

Robredo was also the keynote speaker of the 2022 Basilan Women Executives and Legislators Summit at the gymnasium of Barangay Tabiawan here.

The event gathered for the first time all women elected and career executives from 11 towns and two cities of the province.

It aims aim to provide a platform for a collective aspiration and its translation to actual advocacies and actions for women’s participation, welfare, and advancement. (PNA)