MANILA — Philippine President
Ferdinand Marcos Jr vowed Monday to slash poverty, rein in soaring food prices, and boost
renewable energy, as he unveiled an ambitious blueprint for his six-year term.
اضافة اعلان
In his first State of the Nation address, Marcos Jr
offered a laundry list of targets, ranging from getting children back into
classrooms, to easing the debt burden of farmers, to expanding internet
access.
Unlike his
predecessor
Rodrigo Duterte, who used to frequently go off script in a stream
of consciousness and threaten to kill people, Marcos Jr stuck to a prepared
speech that was methodical and heavy on numbers.
After inheriting an economy ravaged by COVID-19
lockdowns and inflation, the new president expressed cautious optimism for the
future — even as the war in Ukraine and supply chain disruptions drive up food
and fuel prices.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr delivers his first State of the Nation address at the house of representatives in Quezon City, suburban Manila on July 25, 2022. (Photos: AFP)
“I do not intend to diminish the risks and
challenges that we face in this turbulent time in global history,” he told the
audience of lawmakers, diplomats, and judges.
“And yet I see sunlight filtering through these dark
clouds. We have assembled the best Filipino minds to help navigate us through
this time of global crisis.”
Marcos Jr, who is
the son and namesake of the country’s late dictator, spoke for 74 minutes
without mentioning human rights, corruption, or peace talks with militant
groups.
Instead, the 64-year-old scion focused on the
economy, clean energy, agriculture, and helping poor Filipinos.
Marcos Jr vowed to more than halve the poverty rate
to single digits by the end of his term and offer financial relief to many
farmers, including forgiving debts.
Renewable energy was “at the top of our climate
agenda”, he said, insisting it was time to reconsider building nuclear power
plants in the disaster-prone country.
He also pledged to boost agricultural productivity
and bring down food prices.
“These will not be done in one day, one month, or
one year. But we need to start now,” he said.
Peaceful rallies
Marcos Jr was swept to power by a landslide in the May 9 elections,
completing his family’s remarkable comeback from pariahs in exile to the peak
of political power.
Hours before his
speech, several thousand protesters marched peacefully along a major avenue to
oppose his victory and criticize his first weeks in office.
“He’s just sitting
around, he’s busying himself revising history instead of doing the urgent work
of stopping the rising costs of commodities especially food, distributing land
to farmers, and raising the wages of workers,” said Angelo Suarez, who
volunteers for an agricultural workers union.
Outside the house
of representatives, thousands of Marcos Jr supporters wearing red, his campaign
color, also gathered, waving the Philippine flag and holding signs with slogans
such as “Progress”.
Congressman Ralph
Recto said the new president’s speech was “brave, not boring” and gave the
country a “fiscal reality check”.
The higher cost of
living is worsening the financial misery of millions of Filipinos already
struggling to feed their families.
The central bank
recently raised interest rates for the third straight month as it struggles to
rein in surging energy prices.
Inflation hit 6.1
percent in June, the highest level in nearly four years.
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