Bongbong presents possible programs of next president

MANILA, Philippines - While he has maintained that he remains undecided on a presidential bid in next year’s polls, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday offered a glimpse of what he would do for the country if he were president.

During the Asia CEO Talks forum in Pasay City, Marcos gave an administration blueprint of a “make-believe or hypothetical president” as if delivered in a “maiden State of the Nation Address or at a miting de avance.”

He said his speech “presents another diagnosis of our country, a second opinion, if you will” that would contain the plans necessary to “remedy and respond” to the problems of the country.

The senator said he envisions the Philippines would “overcome its economic and social challenges by drawing on our own strengths and drawing on our unity.”

“It is a vision of the Philippines that is prosperous, rich in opportunity and home to happy, morally upright and productive citizens whose lives are meaningful because theirs is a just society, because theirs is a nation that has become great again,” he said.

He said the business sector should take the lead in nation-building, poverty reduction and developing a shared future, while the “success of our nation depends on national unity.”

“But it is hard for me to imagine how unity can even be possible when nearly 97 percent of our people do not feel they are sharing in our so-called ‘economic miracle,’” he said.

He said the government’s P62.3-billion conditional cash transfer (CCT) program has not substantially helped the country due to leakages.

He added that despite economic gains, he found it “alarming” that “at least 3,700 Filipinos leave for jobs abroad every single day. Nearly one in 10 of us is already abroad.”

To help business thrive and generate jobs for the poor, Marcos said the government must promote confidence in the government’s “competence and ethical commitment to good performance.”

According to Marcos, the next administration would only succeed if it embraces meritocracy as its guiding principle.

“The next leader should surround himself or herself with the best of the best in the Cabinet. Our country is blessed with such great human talent and we must engage that great human talent in the service of nation-building. Meritocracy must govern all appointments, not only in high-level appointments, but throughout the entire bureaucracy,” he said.

The senator also called for the enactment of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, which the President neglected to mention in his last SONA, to help erase doubts and perceptions of corruption, lack of ability and favoritism in government.

Marcos added that the next president must talk peace with all entities fighting the government, such as the New People’s Army and other Muslim rebels, to ensure peace and order.

Still, in providing his vision for the country, Marcos emphasized that it was purely hypothetical, as he has not yet decided whether or not to run for higher office. – With Christina Mendez