“We are here to repair a house divided,” says President Marcos Jr during inauguration speech as he promises to make the Philippines a “land of plenty”
(Eagle News) — President Ferdinand Romualdez “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., took his oath on Thursday, June 30, as the 17th president of the country, promising to deliver on his promises of a better Philippines amid the uncertainty of a continuing conflict in Ukraine and the throes of the still unfinished Covid-19 pandemic.
In his speech that ran for about half an hour in front of the historic Philippine National Museum, Marcos talked of his faith in the Filipino spirit, and in Philippine unity to achieve the dream of making the country, “a land of plenty.”
-Historic moment-
“This is a historic moment for us all. I feel it deep within me. You the people have spoken and it is resounding 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. That is why it reverberated and amplified as it did to deliver the biggest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy,” the 64-year old new Philippine president said, after his inauguration.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo administered Marcos Jr’s oath of office in front of the historic National Museum, which was witnessed by thousands of Filipinos who gathered at Padre Burgos Avenue, and in other public areas where the event was livestreamed. Millions watched it through social media and internet.
Marcos said his victory, where he won by a landslide of over 31 million votes, was a rejection of the politics of division, and explained why he did not bother to answer his critics. He said he just “listened” to what his rivals were saying, and to what the people were saying.
“I offended none of my rivals in this campaign. I listened instead to what they were saying. And I saw little incompatibility with my own ideas — about jobs. fair wages, personal safety and national strength. and ending want in a land of plenty,” he said.
“I believe that if we but focus on the work at hand and the work that will come to hand, we will go very far under my watch.”
Marcos said he listened to the calls for “pagkakaisa” or unity. He said he “never gave up hope of a reconciliation.”
-Marcos talks of father’s legacy, Duterte’s achievements-
The son of the late president Ferdinand Marcos, who was ousted from power in 1986, by a People Power revolution that installed the late president Corazon Aquino, also talked about his father’s legacy, and the legacy of his predecessor, the now former president Rodrigo Duterte.
He promised to get the work done, with “no excuses” in elevating the country’s economy and getting past the various crises besetting the country.
He lauded the Filipinos who voted for him as “instrument of change” and promised to deliver, knowing full well the gravity of the task that the Filipino electorate placed on his shoulder.
But he said he need the help and cooperation of his countrymen.
“I am here not to talk about the past. I am here to tell you about our future — a future of sufficiency,” he said.
“I will get it done. I once knew a man who saw what little had been achieved since independence, in a land of people with the greatest potential for achievement. And yet they were poor. But he got it done. Sometimes with the needed support, sometimes without,” he said alluding to his father.
“So will it be with his son. You will get no excuses for me.”
President Marcos Jr., who will also take on the leadership of the agriculture department, had promised to do all he could in the coming months which he foresees would be beset by problems on food and energy supply.
He recalled how his father, the late President Marcos, was able to make the country rice self-sufficient during his term. He also lauded the massive infrastructure projects of former President Duterte
“My father built more and better roads, produced more rice than all administrations before his. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte built more and better than all the administrations succeeding my father,” he said.
-Marcos to continue Duterte infra projects-
Marcos promised to continue and finish on schedule the infrastructure projects of the previous administration that had been started. He stressed that he is “not interested in taking credit and build on successes that are already happening.”
No part of the country will be neglected in his six-year infrastructure plan which he will present to the public, he said.
Marcos Jr., also recognized his mother, Former First Lady Imelda Marcos, at the start of his speech.
He promised to discover new ways of beating the Covid-19 pandemic, and that there will be no secrets in public health decisions.
“You will not be disappointed, so do not be afraid,” he said.
“With every difficult decision that I must make. I will keep foremost in my heart and my mind the depth of gratitude I owe you for the honor and responsibility that you have conferred on me,” he said.
“Your dreams are mine. Ang pangarap niyo ay pangarap ko,” he added.
-Apprehensions on continuing war in Ukraine-
He, however, expressed apprehension regarding the continuing war in Ukraine that would affect countries all over the world, and not just Europe. He said this will impact on food and energy supplies across the globe, affecting the various economies of the world.
“We face prospects of the spread of the war abroad of which we are totally blameless,” he said. “And if the great powers draw the wrong lessons from the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine, the same dark prospect of conflict will spread to our part of the world.”
Marcos promised to develop the public health sector, the economy, the agriculture and food supply, the energy sector, labor, and tourism among others.
As to the education of the country’s youth, he stressed on developing the sciences and said that Vice-President Sara Duterte, whom he had assigned to be the secretary of the Department of Education, would “fit that mission to a T.”
The Vice-President attended the inauguration, but his father, the former president Rodrigo Duterte, did not, and opted to leave immediately for Davao City after he left Malacanang on Thursday morning. He welcomed Marcos Jr., at the Palace when he came to visit shortly before his inauguration.
-Faith in the Filipino people-
Marcos said he believes and has faith in the Filipino people, which is why he is confident of the future.
“And if you ask my, why I am so confident of the future. I will answer you simply that I have 110 million reasons to start with. Such is my faith in the Philippines,” he said.
“Believe and have hope. The sun also rises like it did today, and as it will tomorrow. And as surely as that, we will achieve the country all Filipinos deserve. God bless the Philippines. God bless our work,” he said.
-Giving up, not an option-
Before he took his oath, various representatives of churches and religious groups in the country, prayed for the success of the new administration.
Marcos said he is reaching out to all sectors, extending his hand to all Filipinos.
“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,” he said.
“Giving up is not an option,” Marcos said.
After the inauguration, President Marcos welcomed diplomats at a vin d’ honor inside the National Museum, together with the First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and Vice-President Duterte.
(Eagle News Service)