Marcos: Alyansa bets' direction is to make PH progressive

DUMAGUETE CITY—As he woos voters for Eleksyon 2025, President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said the direction of the administration’s senatorial slate is to make the nation progressive,  adding that fear will never be a factor in doing this.

“Mga kababayan, malinaw ang direksyon natin. Ang direksyon natin ay ang mapaunlad ang Pilipinas, hindi mang-aapi. Pag-unlad, hindi takot ang solusyon. Ang solusyon ay ang dapat pagandahin ang ating patakbo ng ating pamahalaan,” Marcos said.

(My countrymen, our way is clear. Our direction is to develop the Philippines, not to oppress. Progress, not fear, is the solution. The solution is to improve the way government is run.)

The President said the candidates of the Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas would guarantee the interest and welfare of Filipinos.

“Ang mga kandidato ng Alyansa ay kasama natin sa pagtataguyod ng interes at kapakanan ng bawat isang Pilipino,” Marcos said.

(The candidates of Alyansa are behind us in ensuring the interest and welfare of each Filipino.)

Present during the campaign rally were former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, Makati City Mayor Abby Binay, Senator Pia Cayetano, Senator Lito Lapid, Senator Imee Marcos, Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Senator Francis Tolentino, former Senators Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Manny Pacquiao, ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo, and House Deputy Speaker Camille Villar.

Senator Imee Marcos, the President’s sister, was not present during the sortie. 

At a campaign stop, Binay pushed for a clear policy banning the importation of crops during the country's harvest seasons to protect farmers from price drops while Sotto proposed for the government to buy 50 percent of agricultural products at farmgate prices.

Pacquiao introduced his PDC (Production, Distribution, Consumption) program to prevent middlemen from unfairly profiting off farmers and Abalos proposed institutionalized financial assistance, expanded crop insurance, and government support for transportation and mechanization.

VP Sara impeachment

At a separate press conference, some national issues were tackled, including the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. 

Sotto reiterated that the current Senate could have tackled the impeachment complaint against Duterte before the chamber went on recess. He also said if they win in Eleksyon 2025, they must be prepared for the impeachment trial. 

“We need to be prepared as we have prepared in the past (and) are you sure that it will be the 20th Congress because they can take it up now if they want,” Sotto said. 

''The seven senators are reelectionists and they will be campaigning… what more better campaign but to be in television everyday in the impeachment court? Walang tatalo doon, parang telenovela ‘yon papanoorin ng buong Pilipinas ‘yon ‘di ba? (That is hard to beat, like a telenovela, the whole country will watch, right?’” Sotto said. 

Sotto, who previously served as Senate president, said at least four or five senators are willing to convene the impeachment court now.

“I’d say easily about four or five of them. I will not name them ‘no… four or five of them and according to at least two of them, the others feel the same way,” Sotto said. 

Tolentino, for his part, said it is a case which will be ripe for adjudication in a few weeks time. 

“It’s a case perhaps, in a few weeks time, would be ripe for adjudication so, this is a legal question. Hintayin natin ang susunod na mga Supreme Court cases na matapos at madesisyunan but ‘yong question mo kung handa, ganoon pa rin naman ang sagot ng lahat dapat to be impartial, neutral, objective,” Tolentino, a lawyer, said.

(Let’s wait for the Supreme Court cases to finish and be decided but for your question on being prepared, everyone’s answer is to be impartial, neutral, objective.)  

Meanwhile, Tulfo said this process would take a toll on the legislative function of the Senate. 

“Instead of legislating, pag gawa ng batas, naka-focus pati ang taong-bayan, ang sambayanan, pati ang media, actually tinitignan ko ‘yong magiging telenobela, mahaba-haba ‘yan but in preparation, you’re saying the preparation sa akin, para sa akin, we will wait,” he said.

(Instead of legislating, creating laws, the whole country is focused, even the media, actually what I see as a telenovela, it’s going to take some time but in preparation, you’re saying the preparation for me, we will wait.)

The Senate went into the recess without taking up the transmittal of the articles of impeachment by the House of Representatives on the last session day before the campaign period for Eleksyon 2025.

The impeachment process under the Article XI of the 1987 Constitution under "Accountability of Public Officers” states that a trial conducted by the Senate, which will act as the Impeachment court, after endorsement from the House.

An official will be convicted if two-thirds of the Senate votes in favor.

Negros peace and order

The candidates were also asked about the so-called political violence in the province of Negros Oriental. To recall, it was in March 2023 when Governor Roel Degamo and five others were killed when armed men fired shots during an aid distribution activity at his residence in the town of Pamplona. 

Multiple murder charges were filed against former Negros Oriental Arnolfo ''Arnie'' Teves Jr. for the killing of Degamo, which he repeatedly denied. Teves is still in Timor Leste. 

According to Abalos, the peace and order situation in the province has improved as he highlighted the decrease in the number of killings in the province. 

“If you compare right now ‘yung killings noon, compare it ngayon, napakalayo, and when I saw the PD I congratulate it here. Dahil for a time halos wala na pong namamatay dito (now there are almost no deaths). But before, it’s really double digits mataas (it was high),” Abalos said.

Tolentino, for his part, said he believes that Negros Oriental is a peaceful province. 

“Darating po siguro ‘yong yugto na talagang madadagdagang muli ‘yong ating mga turista dito na mahigit kalahating milyon ngayon (The chapter will come when tourism will go up here of up to half a million visitors),” Tolentino said. —RF, GMA Integrated News

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