MANILA, Philippines — In his first address to Filipinos as the country’s chief executive, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that he is ready for the task ahead, with a promise to “get it done,” no excuses.
During his inaugural address, Marcos said that he will not take lightly his new role as a public servant, but that he would need the help of everyone.
“You picked me to be your servant, to enable changes to benefit all. I fully understand the gravity of the responsibility that you’ve put on my shoulders. I do not take it lightly, but I am ready for the task,” Marcos said.
“I will need your help. I want to rely on it. But rest assured I do not predicate success on the wide cooperation that’s needed. I will get it done,” he added.
READ: It’s official: Bongbong Marcos sworn in as PH’s 17th President
Marcos brought up his battle cry for unity, a message he repeated throughout his presidential campaign.
“When my call for unity started to resonate with you, it did so because it echoed your yearnings, mirrored your sentiments, and expressed your hopes for family, for country and for a better future,” Marcos said.
“That is why it reverberated and amplified as it did to deliver the biggest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy. By your vote, you rejected the politics of division,” he further said.
Marcos likewise addressed his father and namesake, whose leadership he said helped shape a nation.
“I watched a man who saw what had been achieved since independence in a land of people with the greatest potential for achievement and yet they were poor. But he got this done,” the newly- elected president said, without mentioning the name of his father.
“Sometimes, we needed support, sometimes without. So will it be with his son [?] You will get no excuses from me,” he added, as his audience, which included his own mother, former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, applauded.
Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his oathtaking at the National Museum. Image from PCOO / Facebook
‘Your hopes are mine’
Marcos’ 25-minute speech was mostly delivered in the English language, but with a smattering of Filipino. During these instances that he spoke in the vernacular, he said that every Filipino’s dream is his, too.
“I listened to you and this is what I have heard. We all want peace in our land. You and your children want a good chance of a better life, in a safer, more prosperous country,” Marcos said.
“All that is within reach of a hard working, warm, and giving race. Your dreams are mine. Ang pangarap niyo ay pangarap ko,” he added, drawing cheers from the crowd.
He added: “Sa pangarap na maging maunlad ang ating bansa, ang pangarap nyo ay pangarap ko.”
(In your hope of making our country successful, your hope is my hope.)
Call for unity, openness
During the campaign period, Marcos and his running mate, Vice President Sara Duterte, ran their campaign under a platform of unity, saying that it is the first step that Filipinos must do to recover from the pandemic.
FILE PHOTO: Ferdinand Marcos Jr.and Sara Duterte-Carpio at a campaign sortie in Laguna on March 12, 2022. (Photo from the Facebook page of Bongbong Marcos)
Marcos, now a president, once again made the same call.
“We are here to repair a house divided, to make it whole and to stand strong again in the bayanihan way, expressive of our nature as Filipinos,” Marcos said.
“We shall seek, not scorn, dialogue; listen respectfully to contrary views; be open to suggestions coming from hard-thinking and unsparing judgment but always from us, Filipinos,” he added.
According to Marcos, “[s]olutions from outside divided us.”
“They were always at our expense. Never forget, we are Filipinos, one nation, one republic — indivisible,” Marcos said.
Promises
The second half of Marcos’ speech delved into his plans for the different sectors, on top of which are economy and agriculture.
To recall, Marcos earlier announced that he will temporarily serve as the secretary of the Department of Agriculture.
According to Marcos, such a move will show the government’s priorities.
“The role of agriculture cries for urgent attention that its neglect and misdirection now demands. Food self-sufficiency is the key promise of every administration. None but one delivered. There were inherent defects in the old ways and in recent ways too,” he said.
Marcos likewise pointed out problems in the country’s energy supply and education sector.
“What we teach in our schools, the materials used, must be retaught. I am not talking about history, I am talking about the basics, the sciences, sharpening theoretical aptitude and imparting vocational skills such as in the German example,” Marcos said.
“Alongside, the national language, with equal emphasis and facility in a global language, which we had and lost,” he added.
In the health sector, Marcos assured that the country “won’t be caught unprepared, underequipped, and understaffed to fight the next pandemic.”
READ: ‘No more secrets’: Bongbong Marcos vows to fix COVID-19 response snags
“There were shortcomings in the COVID response. We will fix them. Out in the open, no more secrets in public health. Remember, I speak from experience. I was among the first to get COVID. It was not a walk in the park,” Marcos said.
Despite these pronouncements, the new president has yet to appoint a secretary for the Department of Health.
Marcos also vowed to “complete on schedule” infrastructure projects that have already been started. He likewise briefly addressed the tourism sector as well as the country’s climate change response.
“With every difficult decision that I must make, I will keep foremost in my heart and in my mind the debt of gratitude I owe you for the honor and responsibility that you have conferred on me,” Marcos said.
“Whatever is in a person to make changes for the better of others, I lay before you now in my commitment, I will try to spare you,” he added.