PBBM to gov’t execs: Discord inevitable, but unity key to PH growth

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency

Speaking before the Visayas governors and “One Cebu” officials at the Cebu Provincial Capitol in Cebu City, Marcos advised his fellow government officials not to be distracted by issues “that would only deter our work and affect the people who are counting on us.” (PCO Photo)

MANILA – Political differences could not be avoided, but strong collaboration among government officials is key to attaining the development agenda, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Thursday.

Speaking before the Visayas governors and “One Cebu” officials at the Cebu Provincial Capitol in Cebu City, Marcos advised his fellow government officials not to be distracted by issues “that would only deter our work and affect the people who are counting on us.”

“Our effectivity as elected public officials is defined by how we remain true to our mandate to serve, to lead, and empower our fellow Filipinos,” Marcos said.

“It cannot be discounted that disagreements and contradicting views are inevitable, but let us be reminded that our shared commitment is to the greater good and that must be our unifying force,” he added.

Despite the prevailing political differences, Marcos said he never regrets being elected president, stressing that assuming the highest position in the country “is the greatest honor and privilege that any human being can ever be granted by his own people.”

Marcos said public service becomes fulfilling if “like-minded” public servants are committed to building a “more reliable, a more efficient, a more compassionate government.”

While Marcos acknowledged that his administration’s development initiatives are “ambitious,” he expressed confidence that the strong collaboration between the national and local governments will transform the plans into reality.

Marcos told the local officials not to waste time in delivering the reforms that their constituents need, saying they should “always serve with integrity, with responsibility, and passion in our hearts.”

“Our people cannot afford to wait for the benefits of economic growth to trickle down and to translate into improved services, modern infrastructure, and better livelihood. We must take the initiative so that distribution of wealth has a mechanism because without such a mechanism, there is no such thing as trickle down,” he said.

“I’ve seen this in the past where the theory was that if big corporations are wealthy, that wealth will trickle down. Well, it will only do so with the initiatives that are brought in by our local government officials and our public servants. It does not happen by itself. It happens because you all make it happen,” Marcos added.

Marcos noted that collaboration has driven development across various industries, generating more job and livelihood opportunities for Filipinos.

He also hailed the local governments in the Visayas, saying their hard work has made the Central Visayas “the fastest growing region in the country,” with an expansion rate of 7.3 percent in 2023.

He added that Eastern Visayas has also shown a remarkable 6.4 percent growth, faster than the country’s gross domestic product in the same year.

Marcos, however, stressed that “there is much that needs to be done,” saying there is a need to continue developing various industries such as tourism, agriculture and manufacturing.

“That is why we are not stopping here. We are doing more. We will do more. Our duties as public servants are never-ending so we continuously push not only to maintain this growth but also to leverage on the momentum that it has given us,” he said.