MANILA – “I am here not to talk about the past. I am here to tell you about our future. A future of sufficiency, even plenty, of readily available ways and means to get done what needs doing by you, by me.”
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday assured Filipinos his administration will focus on the issues at hand rather than dwelling on what happened in the past.
In his inaugural address after being sworn in as the 17th Chief Executive of the Philippines at the National Museum, Marcos said the country “will go very far” under his governance if the essence of unity is displayed.
“We do not look back, but ahead. Up the road that we must take to a place better than the one we lost in the pandemic. Gains made and lost, opportunities missed, well-laid plans superseded by the pandemic,” said Marcos.
The son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. returned to Malacañang, the country’s seat of power, 36 years after his father’s corrupt totalitarian regime was driven out in February 1986 by a popular uprising called EDSA People Power Revolution.
“I believe that if we focus on the work at hand and the work that will come to hand, we will go farther together than against each other, pushing forward, not pulling each other back, out of fear, out of a misplaced sense of weakness,” said Marcos.
Before becoming president, he had served as senator and governor of Ilocos Norte.
“Indeed, ours was the fastest growing economy in Asean by ways now outdated. We shall be again, by a radical change in the way the world must now work to recover what we have lost in that fire and move on from there,” he continued.
Marcos’ wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and their sons Sandro, Simon and Vincent graced the formal inauguration ceremony.
Also present were Marcos’ mother, former First Lady Imelda Marcos; and sisters, Sen. Imee Marcos and Irene Marcos-Araneta; Vice President Sara Duterte; and former Presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Joseph Estrada.
One of the concerns he mentioned is the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, where he admitted that the previous administration had shortcomings in its response. He aims to correct that now.
“We will fix them, out in the open, no more secrets in public health,” Marcos said. “We will not be caught unprepared, under-equipped, and understaffed to fight the next pandemic.”
To start with, he said, “We never got over the pandemic of poor, if any, free public health. The last major upgrade of our public health system exemplified by the resources poured into PGH (Philippine General Hospital) predates the current shambles by three generations,” he added.
Marcos also noted how medical workers seek opportunities abroad because the Philippines “cannot pay them for the same risks and workload that we have back here.”
“Our nurses are the best in the world. They have acquitted themselves with the highest distinction abroad, having suffered even the highest casualties with the same exemplary dedication. At home, they just got by,” Marcos said.
The 1987 Constitution mandates the President-elect to take oath at noon on June 30, a ceremonial event marking the commencement of his six-year term as the country’s new chief executive.
Prior to the inauguration, Marcos met with his predecessor, outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, at Malacañang for the latter’s departure honors.
President Marcos also said there was a need to “rethink” the country’s education curriculum so it would focus on teaching students “the basics” and prepare them for “better jobs.”
“What we teach in our schools, the materials used, must be rethought. I am not talking about history,” Marcos said. “I am talking about the basics, the sciences, sharpening theoretical aptitude and imparting vocational skills.”
Marcos was sworn in by Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.
“There is hope for a comeback of an education system that prepared coming generations for more and better jobs and Vice President and Incoming Education Secretary Sara Duterte will fit that mission to a tee,” he added.
Marcos once again insisted that he is serious with his call for unity and thanked the Filipinos who voted for his for joining the call and rejecting the politics of division.
He got 31,629,783 votes or 58.77 percent of the votes cast in the May 9 national and local elections – the highest in the nation’s presidential elections history.
“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,” Marcos said.
“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,” he added.
To fulfill his aspiration for a unity, Marcos said that there is a need for his administration to listen to “contrary views” as dialogues should be sought, not scorned.
“We shall seek not to scorn dialogue, listen respectfully to contrary views, be open to suggestions coming from hard-thinking and unsparing judgment but always from us Filipinos,” he said.
“We can trust no one else when it comes to what is best for us, past history has often proven that. Always be open to differing views, but ever united by our chosen goal. Our future, we decide today. Yesterday cannot make that decision anymore nor can tomorrow delay it,” he added.
After his inaugural rites, Marcos hosted a traditional Vin d’honneur for foreign dignitaries, diplomatic corps and other invited guests.
He also administered the mass oath-taking of his Cabinet Secretaries at Malacañang.
Marcos admitted that the gravity of the responsibility put on his shoulders by the over 31 million Filipinos is huge but he is ready for the task at hand.
“I’ve listened to you and this is what I have heard. We all want peace in our land. You and your children want a chance at a better hope in a safer and more prosperous country,” Marcos said.
“I was not the instrument of change, you were that, you made it happen. All that is within reach of a hard-working, warm, and giving race. Your dreams are mine. Pangarap ninyo ay pangarap ko,” he added.
He added: “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.”/PN
