Marcos: Choose candidates who will continue to work for PH

SAN JOSE DEL MONTE CITY - President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Friday called on voters to choose candidates who will continue to work and serve the country. 

 “Magkaisa po tayo at mamili po tayo ng alam natin na tuloy-tuloy magtratrabaho,” Marcos said in his speech during the campaign rally of the Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas. 

Marcos said the candidates he is supporting in the coming polls know the job in the government, noting that this is what is important in public service. 

“Alam na po nila, makita mo – pagka titingnan niyo po, maliwanag na maliwanag alam na po nila ang pala – ang trabaho sa gobyerno. Alam na alam nila ‘yan. Wala ng – ito ‘yung mga klaseng tao, mga klaseng nasa serbisyo publiko na hindi basta’t… Kung minsan hindi na lang nagsasalita at basta’t ginagawa na lang ang trabaho. ‘Yan po ang mahalaga,” Marcos said. 

The President, who has been firing tirades against the previous administration in sorties, called on voters not to listen to candidates who were just talking, saying that those who should be elected are the ones who are working.

“Huwag tayong nagha – nakikinig ng mga puro dada nang dada. Dapat ang hinahalal natin ay puro gawa,” Marcos said. 

The President said his candidates would go to the Senate to work with other lawmakers and push for measures that would benefit the public. 

“Pupunta sila sa Senado hindi upang manggulo, hindi upang magtalunan doon sa kanilang kapwa senador, kung kani-kanino pa,” Marcos said. 

“Sila ay nandiyan sa Senado upang magkaisa at ipagbuo ang magagandang batas na kinakailangan ng taumbayan. ‘Yan po ang istilo ng ating mga kandidato,” he added. 

Bulacan is considered a vote-rich province with 2,173,026 registered voters, according to the Commission on Elections. 

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

Senator Imee Marcos and ACT-CIS Representative Erwin Tulfo were not present in the Bulacan sortie. 

P20 per kilo of rice 

The senatorial candidates also expressed their thoughts on the campaign promise of Marcos to lower the price of rice to P20 per kilo in a separate press conference. 

Marcos had said the aspiration hinges on fixing the value chain, or the series of stages involved in producing a product or service that is sold to consumers, with each state adding to the value of the product or service.

For Lacson, he admitted that attaining this price is difficult. 

“Realistically, parang mahirap ma-attain ‘yung P20 per kilo ng rice. Ma-approximate lang sana masaya na tayong lahat. Pero to accomplish ‘yung P20 per kilo, ako I’m being pragmatic medyo mahirap,” Lacson said. 

Meanwhile, Sotto believed that the price of rice would be lower if it were bought from local farmers. 

“Malaki ang posibilidad na puwede doon sa proposal namin, 50% na output ng mga magsasaka, bibilhin mo at their price malaki ang possibility na talagang bumaba,” Sotto said.

“I cannot pinpoint what the price will be but definitely that is the intent nung proposal na ‘yon para nga bumaba at makinabang ang  magsasaka,” he added. 

Binay underscored the need for greater government support for irrigation to strengthen food security. 

This will also support local farmers, Binay said. 

“We need to put more money into our irrigation,” Binay said. “Imagine the potential of those lands for us to achieve food security and not rely on the importation of food.”

MRT-7

To recall, the City of San Jose del Monte had sought the realignment of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7’s (MRT-7) route after consultations with stakeholders, who raised concerns about traffic congestion and the disruption of services.

Asked for their sentiments on MRT-7, Tolentino said this would ''clear up some bottlenecks, especially in Commonwealth Avenue.'' 

''It will clear up some bottlenecks as you approach NLEX but again it would force some of our residents in Metro Manila to go areas such as San Jose Del Monte,'' Tolentino said. 

Villar, for her part, said this project would be among her priorities in the future.

''What happened in San Jose Del Monte with the MRT-7 is an excellent example that we should follow in other parts of the country to decongest the urban areas and to propel or mas mapabilis yung development and economic growth in other parts of the country,'' Villar said. 

A former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman, Abalos said the country should be prepared for train and subway systems. —LDF, GMA Integrated News

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