Govt to focus on Filipinos’ daily needs
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday said Filipinos sent a clear message to the government with the outcome of the May 12 midterm elections: They are tired of politicking and want their leaders to take care of them now.
“I have two conclusions dito sa eleksyon. Una, nagsawa na ang Pilipino sa pulitika. Sawang-sawa na sa pulitika. Ang mensahe, sa amin lahat – hindi lamang sa akin, kung hindi sa aming lahat – tama na ‘yung pamumulitika ninyo at kami naman ang asikasuhin ninyo (I have two conclusions about this election. First, the Filipinos are tired of politics. They have had enough of politics and the message to all of us – not just to me but toall of us – is: stop politicking and take care of us),” Marcos said in the first “BBM podcast” episode that was released yesterday.
The second lesson, the President said, was: “Disappointed ang tao sa serbisyo ng gobyerno. Hindi nila nararamdaman at masyadong mabagal ang galaw nang pagbubuo ng mga project na hindi pa nila maramdaman (The second one: the people are disappointed in the services of the government. They do not feel its impact and the progress of the projects are slow and could not be felt).”
Marcos made the statements as he reflected on the results of the May 12 senatorial midterm elections, where only six of the 11 administration-backed “Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas” senatorial candidates made it to the winning circle.
The Alyansa candidates who won in the senatorial race were reelectionist Senators Pia Cayetano and Lito Lapid, come-backing senators Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar.
The President said that when he assumed the presidency in 2022, his focus was on the long-term solutions to the problems of the country, which included the delivery of key infrastructure projects such as those in the transportation sector, tourism industry and agriculture.
Marcos said the problem, however, is that these projects, especially the big ticket items, take time to complete, with some even set to be finished beyond his term, such as the Metro Manila subway project.
He said that even if the projects and programs are good and efficient, it will still take time before the public feels their impact.
Marcos said this was a flaw on his part.
“Ito talagang na-realize ko na hindi natin nabigyan nang sapat na atensiyon iyung mas maliit na bagay, iyung para maging mas maginhawa ang pang-araw-araw ng buhay ng tao (This is what I realized, that we didn’t give enough attention to the smaller things, the things that make people’s daily lives more comfortable),” he said.
The President said that for the second half of his term, his administration will give more attention to providing solutions to the immediate problems and needs of the Filipinos and help provide comfort to their daily lives.
He assured the public that he and his administration are listening to their grievances and would find solutions to their problems.
“Ngayon, talagang mamadaliin na namin iyung immediate solutions na puwedeng gawin kaagad. At ‘yun ang aming – ‘yun ang mararamdaman ng taong-bayan mula ngayon (We will hasten and implement the immediate solutions that can be done right away. And that is what we, that is what the people will start to feel from now on),” he said.
‘FIERCE’
The President said the public may even see the “fierce” side of him, saying he will be more demanding from government leaders to ensure a more efficient performance and delivery of services.
He said many people have told him that he was too kind.
“Siguro dapat nga talaga maging mas mabagsik… kailangan talagang maging mas efficient (Maybe I should really be more fierce… we really need to be more efficient),” he said.
Asked if he prefers to be feared or respected, the President said: “I want to be respected but maybe fear is better.”
The President reiterated his call for everyone to start working together now that the elections are over.
