ORCHARD, Singapore — Vice President Sara Duterte ended her official trip here attending an all-Filipino gathering.

Citing the sacrifices of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to work in foreign lands to provide for their families, Duterte said she salutes them for their “toughness to support their families.”

“Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat sa pagtaas ninyo ng bandera ng Pilipinas dito sa Singapore,” she said.

“As your Vice President, kami po ay nagpapasalamat sa inyo for your hard work, passion, and your dedication, and most especially for helping your families back in the Philippines,” she added.

She also shared how President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong admired the quality of work delivered by OFWs.

The Vice President separately met with the two officials before she went to the gathering of members of the Filipino community here.

“Sinabi nila that the Filipinos have the touch that is why they truly appreciate their help and their work here in Singapore,” Duterte told the OFWs in attendance.

Aside from acknowledging the contributions of the Filipino workers abroad, the Vice President also thanked them for supporting her in the last elections.

“Thank you for the honor you have given me to serve as Vice President of our country. It is not given to everyone pero ibinigay ninyo sa akin and we all made history in the last election sa tulong ninyong lahat,” she said.

“Alam ko po busy lahat sa kanya-kanyang personal na buhay, sa trabaho pero binigay po ninyo ang inyong oras sa akin ngayon at binigyan ninyo ako ng pagkakataon na tumayo sa harap ninyong lahat para personal na ibigay ang papasalamat ko. Maraming salamat sa inyo, mga kababayan ko,” she added.

Arnel Repeso, an engineer from Bacolod and who has been staying in Singapore in the past 22 years, said it was the first time a Philippine government official came to meet them.

“Napakasaya at nakakaiyak. Pupunta sya para sa amin for this,” he said.

The Vice President also thanked the Filipino community here for supporting the eight-point socio economic agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and the administration of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

As Secretary of the Department of Education, Duterte also called on the OFWs to help instil the value of education on their relatives in the Philippines.

“Dapat po ulit-ulitin nating ipa-intindi sa ating mga anak, mga pamangkin, mga kapatid na kailangan nila magtapos ng kanilang pag-aaral dahil yun yung magpapabago sa kanilang pamilya at sa kanilang personal na buhay,” she said.

Gold May Davao, who works in Singapore as a domestic helper, said she was happy to see the Vice President.

“I’m very inspired by her platform, especially education,” Davao said.