By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Saturday said the country needs the senatorial candidates of Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas to help turn the government’s vision into reality.
In a vlog posted on his official Facebook page, Marcos emphasized the importance of the Alyansa slate’s programs, citing their commitment to improving the lives of Filipinos.
“Narinig natin ang kanilang mga adbokasiya, mungkahi at plano para mapaginhawa ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino (We have heard their advocacies, suggestions and plans to make the lives of every Filipino easier),” Marcos said.
“Ngayon at higit pa ay kailangang na kailangan natin ang kanilang tulong para mapabilis at mapadali ang pagsasabuhay ng mga hinahangad natin (Now more than ever, we need their help to accelerate and facilitate the implementation of our aspirations),” he added.
Marcos, joined by Alyansa candidate and former Interior secretary Benhur Abalos, also answered questions about several issues affecting the public, including inflation, hunger, corruption in government, road safety and traffic management.
Marcos assured the public of his administration’s relentless efforts to lower the prices of basic commodities.
Abalos, for his part, stressed the need to lower electricity rates and push for renewable energy that could further ease inflation.
They also acknowledged that mass public transport is the key to addressing the perennial issue of traffic congestion and improve road safety.
“May mga insidente tayo nitong mga nakaraang araw na talagang nakakalungkot at marami dito ay masosolusyonan lamang ng isang bagay: Disiplina (We have had incidents in recent days that are truly unfortunate and many of them can only be solved by one thing: Discipline),” Marcos said.
“Para sa akin, sa malalaking lungsod, isa lang ang solusyon dyan — public transport. Maraming tren, maraming bus, maraming masasakyan ang ating mga manggagawa para makapunta sa trabaho at maka-uwi para hindi na nila kailangang dalhin ang kanilang sasakyan. Ang puno’t dulo niyan (For me, in big cities, there is only one solution to that — public transport. There are many trains, many buses, many public utility vehicles for our workers to get to work and back home so they don’t have to bring their own cars. The bottom line of that) is public transport,” he added.
Marcos and Abalos emphasized the need to address hunger to improve the quality of life.
To curb corruption, Abalos vowed to push for a measure that would institutionalize the digitalization of all government services.
“Kaya naming, magawa po. Bibigyan po natin ng kaunting ano ito sa batas, sa Senado para mas lalong tumibay po ito (We can do it. We will give time for it through a bill that will be filed at the Senate to make it even stronger),” Abalos said.
Marcos also expressed his willingness to hear the sides of individuals or groups who are opposed to the policies being implemented by the government to come up with a better one.
He said the victory of the Alyansa slate in the midterm elections is crucial in sustaining the progress made under his watch.
“Para hindi ko na isa-isahin ang mga ito, masasabi ko, sa record nila, sa kanilang mga nagawa na at sa kanilang nais gawin, maliwanag na maliwanag na ang superpower ng lahat ng kandidato ng Alyansa ay ang pagmamahal sa kapwa Pilipino kaya naman kinuha iyan dahil talagang totoo, tapat ang kanilang pagmamahal (Without going into details, I can say that, from their record, from what they have done and what they want to do, it is very clear that the superpower of all Alyansa candidates is their love for fellow Filipinos, which is why they were selected because their love is truly genuine and sincere),” Marcos said.
“Hindi po pampulitika ‘yung kanilang ginawa. Lahat po sa kanila, kung ninanais nila, hindi na sila pumasok sa pulitika, hindi na sila pumasok sa public service. Hindi po madali ang pinasukan nila. Lahat po sila ay nagsakripisyo para makapagserbisyo lang sa taumbayan (What they did was not political. All of them, if they had wanted to, would not have entered politics, they would not have entered public service. It was not easy for them to enter. They all made sacrifices just to serve the people).”
The other 10 Alyansa candidates are Abby Binay; incumbent Senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid and Francis Tolentino; former senators Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao and Vicente Sotto III; and House of Representatives lawmakers Erwin Tulfo and Camille Villar. (PNA)
