BAGONG Pilipinas Fair services, scheduled to be rendered in Mindanao this week, are part of the fulfillment of the election campaign promise of unity of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., a Mindanao lawmaker said Monday.

Assistant Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said it is not true that the Marcos administration is not taking care of Mindanao.

“To give you a shorter answer, hindi po totoo yon. Dahil alam po natin ang Presidente sabi ko nga kanina, nung umpisa po siyang nangampanya nung 2022, ang kanya pong slogan talaga ay Unity,” Adiong told a news conference.

He said the Bagong Filipinas Fair has already been conducted in Bukidnon, Sultan Kudarat, Davao de Oro, and Agusan del Norte, and will be rolled out in Zamboanga and Tawi-Tawi on Thursday.

“So nakita po natin how the President actualizes the promise (of unity) that he mentioned during the campaign and how he will keep that promise up until the end of his term,” he said.

“From the northern part of Luzon to the southern tip of the Philippines, nakita po natin napuntahan niya ang Luzon at pupuntahan niya po, ang Tawi-Tawi, that’s the farthest island in the Philippines closer to our neighbor in Borneo,” he said.

Adiong revealed that the administration would build “one of the longest bridges of the country, that would be connecting Lanao del Norte and Ozamis City to provide and make it easier for the commuters and for transportation of goods, for the inland trading exchanges of goods in between and among provinces in Mindanao.”

He pointed out that President Marcos is also respecting the peace and electoral processes in Mindanao.

“He will make sure that in 2025, we will respect the right of the people to elect their choice of leaders. In 2025 come BARMM elections that will be the first election…So, I don’t think it’s fair to say that the President is actually neglecting Mindanao,” he stressed.

Echoing Adiong’s statement, Manila Rep. Joel Chua said President Marcos and Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez are paying attention to Manila even the city did not vote for then candidate Marcos Jr. in the 2022 elections.

“Actually, ang City of Manila po, we did not support PBBM during the last election but even though nasa opposite side po kami ay hindi rin po pinabayaan ang City of Manila,” he said.

In fact, Manila was among the first local government-beneficiaries of Romualdez’s Cash and Rice Distribution program, he said.

“So makikita po natin si PBBM at si Speaker Martin Romualdez, wala pong tinitingnan tapos na po iyong eleksyon, ang tinitingnan po nila iyong kapakanan po ng mas nakakarami, lalong-lalo na po ng mga mahihirap,” he said.

For his part, Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David “Jay-jay” Suarez said he has attended at least four Bagong Pilipinas Fair events.

“Hindi bababa sa isang bilyong piso worth of various programs and projects iyong nai-implement ng mga national government agencies and national government departments…So, all these programs are being flooded to specific provinces and regions, in all areas of our country,” he said.

He said he has seen the delivery of Bagong Pilipinas services in several Mindanao provinces and could not understand why there are claims that the President is neglecting Mindanao.