Lawmakers urge Filipinos

MORE lawmakers have called on all Filipinos to rally behind the fresh call by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (BBM) for unity and economic transformation at this precarious juncture, when the world continues to reel from the impact of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, and exacerbated by food supply shortfalls, the oil price shock and geopolitical tensions.

Camarines Rep. LRay Villafuerte, former Speaker Lord Alan Velasco, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte and Negros Oriental Rep. Arnie Teves said President Marcos needs all the support from the people to pursue the country’s economic recovery.

At the same time, Villafuerte appealed to the incoming 19th Congress to give its full backing to the President’s call for unity and building back better by working as soon it convenes on July 25 on new legislation in support of Marcos’ priority concerns, such as economic transformation, sustained infrastructure development, tourism development, agricultural modernization and food sufficiency.

President Marcos said in his inaugural speech that the outcome of the latest presidential race showed that voters had rejected the politics of division and that “we will go further together than against each other.”

“All of us Filipinos should move forward from the past and work as one with the new President in confronting and overcoming the major risks to our country’s sustained and strong recovery from the global health and economic crises wrought by the pandemic and which has been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent food supply squeeze and oil price shock,” Villafuerte said.

“I humbly appeal to all my kababayans to support our new leaders, including Vice President Inday Sara Duterte, and help them fulfill their mandate to the Filipino people. Now more than ever, the call for unity is more urgent, more important if we want to improve the plight of every ordinary citizen. It’s time to set aside differences so we can move forward and effect the change that is expected from us as public servants,” Velasco said.

“His overwhelming victory in last May’s peaceful election was historical, having been chosen by more than 31 million voters to take the top job and navigate the country in the midst of the lingering effects of the pandemic and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, both of which have wide-ranging impact on the lives of 110 million Filipinos. With the problems confronting the nation, the gargantuan task of putting back the economy on track and returning to the new normal will require the cooperation of all,” Velasco, a Marinduque lawmaker, said.

“As a legislator, I am ready to help the administration realize its road map to generate more jobs, create more business opportunities, improve food sufficiency, ensure a steady supply of energy, and support millions of Filipino migrant workers, among others. Let us hope and trust that this government will do the job right. Lahat tayo – lingkod-bayan man o ordinaryong mamamayan – ay pareho at iisa lang ang pangarap: ang maunlad na pamumuhay at maunlad na Pilipinas,” he added.

Duterte congratulated the president. “Congratulations, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. Dalangin ko po na bigyan ka sa araw-araw ng magandang kalusugan at malinaw na kaisipan ng Maykapal upang ang bansa ay iyong mapunuan lalo na ang mga kababayan natin na kapos-palad.”

“May our dear God give you guidance. Alam ko po na malaki ang iyong matutulong sa bansa at mamamayan. Asahan mo po ang suporta ng Negros Oriental. Mula kay bagong Gov. Henry Teves, sa aming mga mambabatas, alkalde hanggang sa bawat Negrosanons. Mabuhay ka, President Bongbong Marcos,” Teves for his part said.

Villafuerte also said he is 100 percent behind the plan of President Marcos and incoming Speaker Martin Romualdez to push the Congress to craft a new economic stimulus package dubbed Bayan Bangon Muli (BBM) akin to the two Bayanihan laws – Republic Act (RA) 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act and RA 11494 or Bayanihan to Recover as One Act – that lawmakers passed swiftly at the onset of COVID-19 in 2020 to save Filipinos from the deadly coronavirus and provide succor to poor families, displaced workers, distressed small and medium enterprises and other sectors hardest hit by the pandemic-driven global economic standstill.

Villafuerte, who was the principal author in the House of both Bayanihan 1 and Bayanihan 2, said he has already filed a new version of the Bayanihan measure in support of the plan of the president and incoming Speaker Romualdez for a BBM economic stimulus package.

“Supporting this call for unity and collective action against the backdrop of domestic and global challenges is the least we can do for our country and President BBM who, by the way, has won the biggest electoral mandate ever in our country’s history with over 31.1 million votes,” he added.

Villafuerte said, “The country cannot regain its pre-COVID upward trajectory from hereon minus national unity, as the President BBM was spot on when he pointed out in his inaugural speech that the overwhelming electorate mandate he had received from our people meant they ‘rejected the politics of division’.”

He welcomed the President’s announcement that he is drawing up what he called a “comprehensive, all-inclusive plan” for economic transformation so the new government can build back better.

Villafuerte said the President’s plan to sustain the accelerated infrastructure development initiated by former President Duterte will provide a big boost to his proposed “comprehensive, all-inclusive” economic transformation, given that infra investments create a lot of jobs and have the highest multiplier effect on the economy.

He also supports the President’s plan to give top priority to agriculture, having earlier lauded Marcos’ decision to take on the job of agriculture secretary which, said Villafuerte, sent the crystal clear message that the new administration would put a premium on food security, if not sufficiency, especially at this time of the spiraling prices and shrinking supply of food.

Villafuerte likewise welcomed Marcos’ pitch in his speech for tourism development, considering the devastating impact of the pandemic-related mobility restrictions or lockdowns on international and domestic travel.

Earlier, Villafuerte had hailed the President’s choice of former Liloan, Cebu Mayor Christina Codilla-Frasco as head of the Department of Tourism, especially after the secretary-designate announced that she would give priority to working closely with local governments hosting tourist spots and to promoting lesser known must-see places across the country.