As he marks his 100th day in office on October 7, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that his most significant achievements so far are bringing unity to the government, making other countries aware that the Philippines is open for business, and extinguishing fires while facing issues left and right.

During the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) ‘s President’s Night in Pasay City on Wednesday, October 5, Marcos said one of the things he made sure to achieve in his first 100 days was to build a functioning government with a clear objective.

“I think what we have managed to do in the first 100 days is put together a government that is functional and which has a very, very good idea of what we are targeting in terms of strict economic targets, of the numbers of growth, the numbers of the different measures, the different metrics that we are using for the economy,” he said.

The President said he was still enjoying the “unifying force” that the elections had become.

“Generally speaking, elections are polarizing. And, of course, even in this case, it was polarizing, but at least a very strong majority made itself felt. And I think that is something that we continue to use as our foundation,” he said.

“And with that, what the promises that were made during the campaign, for example, that we bring the best and brightest and we do not look at color in terms of — political color, I think we have done that,” he added.

According to Marcos, he has “galvanized the government once again into governing.”

“Slowly, it’s filtering down to the rank and file, (and they) are beginning to feel that no there is a point to government, there is something that we need to be doing,” he said.

“This is the direction we are being led in(to). These are the things that we are going to do,” he added.

President Marcos said that unity helped his administration pull the country out of the Covid-19 pandemic, which he described as a “terrible crisis” that Filipinos have suffered over the past two years.

“I think we have achieved that,” he said.

“That sense of urgency, that unity that we bring people together and we are bringing people together for a reason, and the reason is not ourselves, it’s not our families, but it’s our community, it’s our country, it’s our people,” he added.

“I think we have returned into government. I think that’s the most important thing,” he continued.

Engagement

Marcos believed he was able to renew friendships as he engaged with Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Singapore and many other friendly countries around the world.

He described his engagement with foreign leaders as the Philippines’ “coming-out party for the world.”

“This is the coming-out party for the Philippines, and we are able to explain this is what the Philippines is now. This is what the Philippines looks like after two and a half years of crisis,” the President said.

“This is what the Philippines is doing, and this is how we can help each other because not any one country is going to manage this transformation by themselves, and we will need each other’s help,” he added.

The Chief Executive said the Philippines needed to find its place in the world and show that the Philippines is standing on its feet.

“The Philippines continues to have its aspirations and its dreams, and we are willing to do our part in making those dreams come true. And partnerships once again are going to be important, and we invite you to join us,” Marcos said.

“That is one thing we have staked our place in the community of nations. I think that has been very, very important,” he added.

Putting out fires

President Marcos said another significant achievement of his administration in its first 100 days is that they have been putting out fires and making things work while facing challenges left and right.

“We were putting out fires. We were just trying to make things work because suddenly, the problem with the sugar supply, the problem with fertilizer. We were having to look to different — what we now refer to as non-traditional sources,” he said.

Marcos said the country is now taking a “very balanced view” as it considers dealing with Russia for fuel and fertilizer while dealing with Ukraine for feed wheat and corn importation.

“All of these things have now become part of the mix that has made really — has made the world situation more volatile and more complex than it was before,” he said.

“We have already made it clear where the Philippines stands in all of this. And it is something that I made clear again to the other leaders, and I said that, essentially, we are driven by our desire for peace. And all the economic development that we plan and all that we hope to do will come to naught unless there is peace,” he added.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Argyll Cyrus Geducos

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