MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. on Friday told government troops not to be fooled by political noise, reminding them to stick to their mission and mandate.
Marcos made the pronouncement during his visit to the Southern Luzon Command’s (Solcom) Camp General Guillermo Nakar in Lucena City.
“Huwag kayong nalilinlang sa mga nangyayari. Let’s stay focused. Pare-pareho tayo,” Marcos said in his speech.
(Do not be deceived by what is happening. Let’s stay focused. All of us,)
According to Marcos, he reminds himself of his true duties whenever he’s faced with such noises.
“Basta’t maliwanag sa pag-iisip natin. We have the same mission. I do it for the civilian end, kayo sa military police end. Pero pareho ang mission natin,” said Marcos.
(As long as it is clear in our minds. We have the same mission. I do it for the civilian end, you for the military police end. But our mission is the same.)
“Let’s keep that mission clear in our mind. And kung nadi-distract tayo—siyempre maraming sigaw, maraming ingay— ‘pag nadi-distract tayo at sabi papaano na ito? Madali iyan, madali ang sagot diyan: Ano ba ang mission ko? Iyon, ‘yun ang tutuparin ko,” he added.
(Let’s keep that mission clear in our minds. And if we get distracted—of course, there’s a lot of shouting, a lot of noise—’when we get distracted and say, what will I do? That’s easy; the answer to that is easy: What is my mission? That’s what you will fulfill.)
He then praised the soldiers for their performance in taking down communist terrorist groups, as well as their assistance to those affected by the series of storms and typhoons that battered parts of Luzon.
While the President did not explicitly state what political noise he was referring to, former president Rodrigo Duterte recently accused Marcos of running a “fractured governance” and even called on the military to “correct it.”
His remarks met heavy criticism from government agencies and Marcos’ allies, including the Department of Justice which tagged his statements as bordering on sedition.