MEMBERS of the House of Representatives brushed aside criticisms that President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s “Bagong Pilipinas” campaign is full of empty promises, saying the critics need only ask the people who benefitted from the billions in cash and livelihood aid programs of the Marcos administration.

In the daily regular press briefing of the House on Thursday, Deputy Majority Leaders Erwin Tulfo and Janette Garin, and Anakalusugan Partylist Rep. Ray Reyes all defended the Bagong Pilipinas campaign, saying it has already benefitted the people.

Tulfo, also ACT-CIS representative, said that President Marcos Jr. launched the Bagong Pilipinas campaign in partnership with Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez to fulfill a promise of inclusion, that every Filipino will feel the benefits of recovering from the adverse effects of the pandemic.

“If you are asking me … Bagong Pilipinas was launched by the President hindi para resolbahin ang problema ng Pilipinas overnight. What the President did in Bagong Pilipinas’ launching, para maiangat ang mga kababayan natin sa kahirapan. That’s what Bagong Pilipinas,” Tulfo said in reaction to former SC Justice Antonio Carpio’s statement that Bagong Pilipinas was full of empty promises.

“It is not the way I look at it as a journalist. Bagong Pilipinas was launch to help people kasi nga yung promise ng administrasyong Marcos noong tumatakbo pa, na sabay-sabay tayong babangon.”

Garin said she personally witnessed how the people, even her own constituency in Iloilo, enjoyed the benefits of government programs in the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair spearheaded by Speaker Romualdez.

“On the issue of Bagong Pilipinas, ako kasi personal kong na-witness ‘yon sa distrito ko at nakasama rin ako sa iilang Bagong Pilipinas event, kung saan dahil nandodoon ang mga lider, ay mabilis ang serbisyo ng gobyerno,” she said.

“Let’s call a spade, a spade. Pag nag-apply ka ng passport, ilang beses ka babalik-balik? Pag nag-apply ka naman driver’s license, ilang beses ka babalik-balik? Yung meron mga serbisyo ng gobyerno na kailangan mong balik-balikan para makuha mo, ‘yan ang tinutugunan, ‘yung serbisyo agad. Sa Bagong Pilipinas, the government is responsive and will always be there,” she added.

BPSF is a one-stop shop where hundreds of government services are available under one roof on a two-day event in one province. It has gone to 13 provinces already and plan to visit all 83 provinces of the Philippines.

“So ki-nut (cut) yung burukrasya na yan, bumababa ang mga leaders para makita you are there not to disturb but you are there to be the prompt. Yun bang mapipilitang gumalaw kaagad ng mabilis at serbisyuhan ‘yung mga taong bayan dahil nandodoon ‘yung mga leaders and that is very important,” Garin said.

“Pero yung ine-expect ng iba na with the click of your finger, lahat ng problema e may solusyon agad, walang sinumang bansa sa buong mundo ang kaya ng ganon. I believe those statements are somehow also political kasi ganon naman talaga eh,” she said of Carpio’s statements.

“There will always be people who will be happy with what you’re doing, but there will always be people who will be criticizing you. Yung importante is tingnan natin, let’s say at the end of this year, tingnan natin kung ano ang sinasabi ng taongbayan, ramdam ba nila or hindi ba nila ramdam?”

For Reyes, it is too early for some people to judge the success or failure of Bagong Pilipinas.

“Kailan ba nag kick off yung Bagong Pilipinas? Parang January ata o February of this year? So, ang hirap namang sabihin na empty promises siya kung isa o dalawang buwan palang ang nakakalipas. Hindi pa nabibigyan ng pagkakataon na makita talaga yung performance nitong itinataguyod nating Bagong Pilipinas,” Reyes said.

“Katulad nga ng nasabi ni Cong. Janet Garin, doon sa region nila nakita niya naman ‘yung response ng parang BPSF. Doon sa Mindoro, ganon din naman po. Yung serbisyo fair po sa Mindoro si Speaker pa mismo ang pumunta so that he could personally witness kung ano po talaga yung BPSF,” he added.