17th Phl President Hopes For Honeymoon Period

President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has begun reaching out to leaders of the incoming 19th Congress to lay out his legislative agenda while hoping for a fruitful “honeymoon period” with the legislative and judicial branches of government.

Addressing select reporters at his campaign headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Thursday, May 26, Marcos said that right after his proclamation at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City last Wednesday, May 25, that he spent the next three hours meeting with the leadership in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

“It became productive because I was able to talk with our legislators. I told them these are the things that my administration intends to do; these are the things I would need you to do,” Marcos said partly in Filipino.

While he made no mention of specific measures discussed during the meeting, the president-elect said his administration intends to provide tax relief and assistance to the sectors severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

These sectors include micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), transportation and agriculture.

Earlier, he had also said that Congress should prioritize the immediate passage of the 2023 national budget as his administration needs to look at additional sources of funds to finance his intended programs and projects.

Marcos expressed hope that his office will have a harmonious relationship with Congress and the judiciary.

“I am hoping there will be a honeymoon period; that the relationship will be bright and harmonious; that there will be a cooperation between the legislature, the executive, and of course, the judiciary,” he said.

Marcos is facing a disqualification case before the Supreme Court (SC) in connection with his conviction of a criminal offense in connection with failure to file his income tax returns in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985.

Despite this, Marcos seems unfazed, saying that there are lots of things to be done before he formally assumes office on June 30.

“I really want to hit the ground running in the beginning of the term. I also would like to have a very clear understanding between all the cabinet secretaries and the legislature, of what we are going to be trying to do, the timetable that we are giving ourselves… the deadline that we have to put so that we don’t waste any time,” Marcos said.

‘Speedy passage of budget’

Senator-elect Chiz Escudero said on Thursday a speedy passage of the P5.2-trillion spending package for 2023 will help pump prime the economy and provide the much-needed assistance to small businesses and the agriculture sector.

The outgoing governor of Sorsogon said he agrees with Marcos who believes in the need to work closely with the 19th Congress to ensure the smooth passage of next year’s budget to fi-nance his administration’s economic stimulus measures.

“I have been saying for a long time that because of the severe blow of the pandemic, we must be all hands on deck regardless of political color, regardless of politics, regardless of political party,” said Escudero.

Once the incoming Congress begins discussion and debates on the proposed multitrillion budget, Escudero said he would like to prioritize support for the agriculture sector, home to the poorest in the country, as well as MSMEs, which comprise 99 percent of the local economy and employ more than five million Filipinos based on government figures.

“When we solve the problem of MSMEs, we seem to have solved almost 99 percent of the economic problems and unemployment,” he pointed out.

To-do list

For his part, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said that Marcos must immediately address the four most pressing issues of the country: inadequate health care system, the pandemic-battered economy, a failing education system and the weak rule of law.

Drilon said Marcos can exercise his political will during his honeymoon period with Congress and the judiciary to address these four, which greatly affect the lives of the Filipino people.

“President-elect Marcos should capitalize on the so-called ‘honeymoon period’ and exercise political will in the first 100 days of his presidency to address these four urgent issues that remain unresolved and define his legislative priorities,” Drilon said.

On the issue of health, Drilon said: “We lack hospitals. Our health information system is inefficient. We do not provide sufficient protection and benefits to our health care professionals both in the public and private sectors.”

He pushed for “long-term solutions” like the establishment of more hospitals and called for the strengthening of the Universal Health Care program. “We must appoint the right people in PhilHealth as our main health insurance agency,” he added.

Drilon also lamented the poor state of education, made even worse by the pandemic, and cited a World Bank report showing that nine out of 10 Filipino children cannot read, reflecting the learning poverty in the country at an alarming rate of 90 percent in 2020.

“This should worry the next administration. I cannot imagine a future with nine out of 10 Filipino children who cannot read,” he said.

Last week, the Senate ratified the bicameral report that seeks to establish the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) tasked to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the education system.

“There should be a joint executive-legislative educational commission because the solution requires both the action of the executive and the legislative,” Drilon said.

The outgoing senator, who thrice became Senate president, also called on Marcos to build a strong economy.

“The key here is the economic managers. The president-elect must choose a strong and cohesive economic team that shares a common vision. His team must be able to formulate fiscal policies that will put the economy on a path to recovery,” Drilon said.

“The economy is in a very difficult situation. We have a debt of P12.68 trillion as of March. We continuously incur a huge budget deficit because of our inefficient tax collection made even worse by the pandemic. Our COVID-19 war chest is dwindling, yet the pandemic is still within our midst,” Drilon said.

He also cited the heavy impact of the high prices of fuel prices due to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and subsequent inflation.

A former justice secretary, Drilon also urged Marcos to restore the people’s confidence in the rule of law and the justice system which, he said, was greatly affected by the so-called war on drugs that killed thousands of Filipinos in the past six years.

“The rise in the number of extrajudicial killings, including lawyers and journalists, as well as red-tagging incidence are symptoms of a weak rule of law,” he said.

‘Ready to work with Bongbong-Sara

Meanwhile, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) faction composed of President Duterte’s allies has expressed readiness to work with Marcos and vice president-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio.

“We, at the PDP Laban, will work hand-in-hand with the President-elect and the Vice President-elect to make sure that they succeed in fulfilling the responsibility embedded in the vote of trust so they can victoriously take the country and the Filipino people to their aspirational future,” Cabinet Secretary Melvin Matibag said in a statement.

Matibag, secretary general of the ruling party, said the resounding majority vote for Marcos and Carpio represents a “valuable expression of trust” from the electorate. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Emmanuel Tupas