Sen. Marcos seeks gov't reforms

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines – "The problem of our country has always been poor leadership. Magagaling ang Pilipino if led well. Look at the Filipinos when they go abroad, kasi maganda ang sistema," according to Senator Bongbong Marcos during his visit to Bohol on Friday.

"Give the people a chance to prosper," said Marcos on the kind of framework and system that a leader should give.

"That can only be provided by a leader who has a vision, a true understanding of what the problems are in the Philippines, who has true understanding of what Filipinos need and who has a true plan. Sa ngayon wala tayong plano. Kung saan-saan lang napadpad. Walang plano na malaki na taon-taon 'yon ang sinusundan na plano," Marcos said.

On this, Marcos said he is now pushing for a national plan for infrastructure development and reconfiguration of government procurement procedures to avoid bureaucratic paralysis, particularly on emergency cases or disaster recovery.

The senator, chair of the Senate public works committee, had dialogues with local officials, the youth and other sectors to discuss infrastructure development in line with Bohol's disaster preparedness efforts to adapt to the devastating effects of climate change.

Marcos told students at the University of Bohol to take part and maximize the new trend on social media and technology to brace against climate change and effectively prepare and respond to disasters.

The government must undertake a comprehensive program to deal with the increasing threat of natural calamities as what happened in Bohol last year when a 7.2-magnitude earthquake and then Yolanda hit the province, he said.

Marcos said the government should simplify, waive or reconfigure government procurement procedures with a massive urban re-planning program, incorporated with green-building practices, to help the country prepare for recurring floods and natural disasters.

The senator said he filed Senate Bill 2885, or the proposed Climate Change Education Act, mandating the Commission on Higher Education to include a three-unit subject for the study of climate change as part of the curricula for all college courses.

The senator also suggested that the executive department should improve and streamline its system, and coordinate with the LGUs to implement the right projects needed in a particular area.