By Katrina Gracia Consebido
Newly installed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. assured that he is “ready for the task” and vowed that he “will get it done” as he delivered his inaugural speech as the 17th president of the country on Thursday, June 30.
Marcos, who won the votes of over 31 million Filipinos, said the change that the country yearns for “will benefit all and will shortchange no one.”
“I was not the instrument of change. You were that. You made that happen,” he said.
“I am now, you picked me to be your servant to enable changes to benefit all. I fully understand the gravity of the responsibility that you’ve put on my shoulders. I do not take it lightly, but I am ready for the task,” Marcos said.
Cognizant of the need for cooperation with the public, Marcos assured that he would work “to get done what needs doing.”
“I will need your help, I want to rely on it, but rest assured I do not predicate success on the wide cooperation that is needed. I will get it done,” he vowed.
“Government will get as much done alone without requiring more from you. That is what government and public officials are for – no excuses, just deliver. It was like that once upon a time,” he added.
Marcos also mentioned his economic team’s “comprehensive all-inclusive plan for economic transformation” to “build back better” from the country’s experiences, while acknowledging that the “immediate months will be rough.”
“The pandemic ravaged bigger economies and ours, virus is not the only thing to blame. What had been well-built was torn down. We will build it back better,” he said.
Also included in Marcos inaugural speech were the impact of the Ukraine crisis, climate change mitigation and pollution, food security, and improved education and tourism, and support to overseas Filipino workers and nurses, and public health services accessibility.
“With every difficult decision that I must make, I will keep foremost in my heart and in my mind the debt of gratitude I owe you for the honor and responsibility that you have conferred on me,” he said later in his address. –ag
