Let’s get things done: Marcos

FOLLOWING ex-President Rodrigo’s continued public rants against Constitutional amendments, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared that he wants lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives to focus on amending the economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution to improve the country’s investment competitiveness.

Marcos made previous pronouncements stating that the economic provisions in the country’s Constitution should be amended to make it attuned to the globalized world in order to attract more foreign investments.

He said amending the economic provisions of the Constitution must be prioritized to remove restrictions and entice foreign businesses to invest in the Philippines.

Marcos said he has been “quietly” talking to both Houses of Congress on the amendments that need to be done.

“What for me is more important than to make these proclamations, pronouncements, what’s more important is to get it done. So, that’ what we’re doing, we’re doing it quietly. We do it with, you know, without any fuss. We just want to get those amendments incorporated into the Constitution to improve the chances of investment and upskilling of our people,” he stressed.

He also pointed out that what is happening now is the mode of amendment that he has espoused from the beginning with the Senate taking the lead.

“I always said the Senate will take the lead. The Senate is taking the lead and between the two Houses they will come to an agreement then that will be the way we’ll do it,” he said.

He added that all the issues on amending the Constitution has been “a storm in a teacup” because the matter has been decided long ago from both leaders of Congress. “But I don’t know why there is such. It’s really a storm in a tea cup because this has been decided very long ago from both the leaders of both Houses. Maybe I don’t proclaim but sinasabi na kailangan kong pumasok (pero) matagal na akong nakikipag-usap sa magkabila,” Marcos pointed out.

He added introducing reforms to the Constitution will be limited to the basic law’s economic provisions strategically aimed at boosting the Philippine economy.

“I want to make it clear: This Administration’s position in introducing reforms to our Constitution extends to economic matters alone, or those strategically aimed at boosting our country’s economy. Nothing more,” he said. “In any event, this Administration is going to continue to push hard to attract more foreign investments to significantly help us achieve our ambition of upper middle-class income status by 2025.”

According to Marcos, despite nearly 16 percent decrement in the net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, the Philippine economy continues to grow and is expected to grow further by 6 and a half to 7 and a half percent this year.

The President also rallied for public support to join him and the government in defending the sanctity of the Constitution, the nation’s territorial integrity and the people’s sovereign will, as he promised to be “Great Protector of the Constitution.”

Retired Supreme Court chief justice Renato Puno cited the United States’ experience, saying there is no Constitution – by people and among people “that is perfect, errorless, hence timeless and (without) changes.”

Puno said the public is seeing today a lot of pushing and pulling between and among different sectors of the society that may drag the nation toward unwanted constitutional crisis.

One of these controversies involved People’s Initiative to amend Constitution, which is an important power of the people to approve and disapprove. Another controversy involves the call to separate Mindanao from the republic, which may bring about disturbance of the public, said the former SC chief.

“We’re more than fortunate that tonight we have the President, the leader of our people who can share his valuable his insights on this divisive issues and other issues and how should be resolved in a democratic and republican way,” he added.

Duterte

Duterte even wanted to secede Mindanao from the rest of the country which lawmakers and stakeholders, including mayors and governors flatly rejected.

 

Marcos said he will not stand idly by, but rather, will proactively confront these issues head on. “For it is my sworn duty as elected President to preserve and defend the Constitution, and also to ensure that laws, especially the fundamental law of the land, are faithfully executed,” he said.

“Moreover, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and having control and supervision over our Police Forces, I bear the paramount mandates of maintaining peace and order in our land, and in preserving our national territory and security,” he added.

However, such task is not his sole responsibility, Marcos said, saying the Judiciary, as well as the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police are also mandated to defend the Republic and constitutional order.

And amid Duterte’s new call for a separate Mindanao, Marcos said it is doomed to fail because it is anchored on a false premise, not to mention a sheer constitutional travesty.

“The current leadership of BARMM itself has repudiated this preposterous proposal. And so did the other political leaders of Mindanao. This is because there can be, as in fact there is already, genuine and effective local autonomy throughout our country, especially in the BARMM, without compromising our national integrity in the slightest degree,” President Marcos said.

“I strongly appeal to all concerned to stop this call for a separate Mindanao. This is a grave violation of the Constitution,” he added.

The President also raised the importance of the country’s economic well-being, with many sectors of society, particularly business, pointing to certain economic provisions in the Constitution that inhibit the Philippines’ growth momentum.

He also made it clear the administration’s position in introducing reforms to the Constitution extends to economic matters only, or those strategically aimed at boosting the country’s economy and nothing more. “In any event, this administration is going to push hard to attract more foreign investments to significantly help us achieve our ambition of upper middle-class income status by 2025,” he said.

“Despite nearly 16 percent decrement in our net foreign direct investment inflows, our economy continues to grow and is expected to grow further by 6.5 to 7.5 percent in this year 2024,” he further stated.

Church

Philippine Church leaders have joined government agencies and civil society groups in disapproving of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s call for separating Mindanao from the rest of the country in Southeast Asia.

The 78-year-old threatened to separate his native Mindanao from the rest of the nation as his alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. disintegrated in the past weeks after disagreements over amending the 1987 constitution. Marcos said it was meant to ease foreign investments while Duterte accused him of attempting to stay in power.

“We firmly believe that the Philippines is one nation, indivisible, and Mindanao is an integral part of our national identity and heritage,” said Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, national director of Caritas Philippines, the social arm of the nation’s Catholic bishops’ body.

Bagaforo conceded the challenges faced by the southern island, where a majority of Muslims live, but stressed that solutions lie in collaborative efforts and addressing root causes of conflict, not in division. “We urge the government and all stakeholders to work together to address issues of poverty, inequality and marginalization, comprehensively and inclusively,” he said.

In a recent statement, Caritas Philippines also said the Catholic-majority nation “needs leaders who promote unity and healing, not division and discord.” The statement warned of the harmful consequences of divisive rhetoric, especially from those who held positions of power. It can potentially reignite old conflicts and hinder progress made towards national unity and healing, it said.

“We believe that true statesmanship lies in responsible and constructive engagement, not in inflammatory pronouncements,” it added.

Duterte was the first president who hailed from Mindanao. His term ended on June 30, 2022.

“Former presidents have a crucial role to play in fostering national unity and providing guidance through their experience. This role demands thoughtful reflection, measured words, and actions that prioritize the common good,” Caritas Philippines said.

Redemptorist priest Amado Picardal said Duterte’s latest tirade “sounds to me like a crazy idea of a desperate powerless ex-president.”

The Duterte critic said it could be an attempt to evade the impending arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the probe into the “bloody war on drugs.”

 

BARMM

Governors in the Muslim autonomous region flatly rejected the seditious proposal by former president Rodrigo Duterte to dismember the southern region of Mindanao from the rest of the country.

 

Governors Yshmael I. Sali of Tawi-Tawi, Hadjiman S. Hataman-Salliman of Basilan, Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. of Lanao del Sur, and Abdulraof A. Macacua of Lanao del Norte, and Mariam S. Mangudadatu released separate statements opposing the secession of Mindanao.

 

“The Bangsamoro people are resolved not to regress, but to forge ahead together as one indomitable force, celebrating their Bangsamoro identity as an integral part of the Philippine Republic,” the governors said as they expressed their gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for his unyielding dedication to realizing lasting peace and prosperity in the Bangsamoro Region.

 

“His consistent and substantial policy statements and programs have installed a sense of stability since assuming office,” they added, and called on their constituents to stand united as the governors affirmed that the relentless execution of the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front serves as a dynamic force, yielding substantial and profound outcomes of peace that resonate powerfully across the entire region.

 

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan also led municipal mayors in the province in the signing of a “manifesto of support” to keep and maintain the integrity and dignity of a united Philippines.”

 

Tan rallied all his mayors and constituents to support the government's stand against Duterte's call to separate Mindanao from the archipelago of over 7,600 islands. Tan led their signing of the manifesto along with members of the League of Municipal Mayors of Sulu in "support of a United and Inseparable Republic of the Philippines.” 

 

The declaration affirms their support for the Marcos administration and “will stand solidly behind any peaceful means to maintain the dignity, integrity and inseparability of the Republic.” The officials stated that Sulu and Mindanao had been subjected to and embroiled in violence and uncertainties for half a century due to the spread and influence of misplaced ideology(ies).

 

The manifesto stated that "never again should the people in the region be forced to relive the dark days of their lives, especially now that their investments in peace and security are paying dividends in the form and shape of development and progress."

 

Sulu is one of six provinces under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region to reject Duterte's seditious call to separate Mindanao amid calls by lawmakers to investigate public funding worth over P51 billion received by his son, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte; and the hundreds of millions of pesos more allocated to the local government of Davao City in previous years. (Ronald Reyes, UCAN and Mindanao Examiner)