PRESIDENT Bongbong Marcos' unrelenting drive to uplift the poor and marginalized: Walang maiiwan (No one will be left behind), an old adage, a simple saying. Many have said it, but very few have delivered on its promise.
It's a saying that's in danger of becoming just an old fib told by leaders, who fail to put their money where their mouths are.
"No one will be left behind" is one of the trickiest parts of governance and the goal of delivering inclusive, all-encompassing public service.
The trick, however, boils down to a leader's character.
Leaders who do the work. Presidents who don't simply mouth platitudes. Or, merely hold press conferences, but presidents with the actual energy and sincerity to do the work and pull that old adage off.
"Marami ngayon umiikot (Many are now doing the rounds). Bakit (Why)? Kasi tatakbo (Because they will run for office). Bisita sa atin, bisita sa mayor (They visit us, they visit the mayor). Pero si Presidente, eto, ikot nang ikot, hindi naman siya tatakbo (But the President, here, keeps doing the rounds even though he isn't running for office). At umiikot siya para harapin kayo at suklian yung suporta binigay ninyo sa nakaraan na eleksyon (And he is doing the rounds to face all of you and give back the support that you have given him in the recent election). Ang pag-ikot niya ay serbisyo, hindi kampanya (He does the rounds to serve, not to campaign)," Leyte Gov. Jericho Petilla said to a large crowd in Palo, Leyte during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s visit to Eastern Visayas last July 4, 2024.
And that's what President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM) has been doing since he assumed office a mere 2 years ago. He has been a ball of action, a whirlwind of travels not merely to press flesh or cut ribbons but to be a man on the ground; not a man who conducts monologues in Malacañang, but someone who punches in his daily quota of work — that tremendous job of seeing to it that the government is doing its job and that succor is being given to the poor and marginalized.
Twenty-four short months into his term, PBBM's unrelenting clip of provincial trips could outlast a tireless Energizer Bunny. The President has already logged a staggering initial clip of 183 provincial sorties. This does not even count the 28 foreign trips he has undertaken to gather foreign investments, strengthen diplomatic ties, forge bilateral alliances and attend multilateral engagements.
Just 2 years into his term, President Bongbong Marcos is already on track to be one of the most indefatigable presidents the nation has ever had.
This year alone, PBBM has crisscrossed the entire width and breadth of the archipelago to provide assistance and livelihood programs to farmers, fisherfolk and families hardest hit by the El Niño phenomenon.
"Sa mga pinuno ng mga ahensiya ng pamahalaang nasyonal at lokal, hinihiling ko ang inyong pakikiisa upang makamit natin ang hangarin na walang maiiwan sa paglalakbay tungo sa mas maliwanag at mas maunlad na bukas (From the heads of national and local government agencies, I ask for your solidarity in order for us to attain our goal of not letting anyone get left behind toward a brighter and more progressive tomorrow)," says the President while giving away millions in aid, assistance, programs, farm implements and livelihood kits for the people of Northern Mindanao in Iligan on May 16, 2024.
With his goal of achieving higher economic growth firmly in place, PBBM is taking extra care in uplifting the lives of the poor and the marginalized, especially in the countryside.
President Bongbong Marcos' zeal to improve the lives of the vulnerable has gone into overdrive when a large swathe of the country suffered a dry spell during this summer's El Niño onslaught.
Hit hard were farming communities and vulnerable families. To help alleviate their plight the President immediately created the Presidential Assistance for Farmers, Fisherfolk and Families (PAFFF) program.
PBBM's desire to spread government assistance and services is so all-encompassing that he has extended the PAFFF to cover provinces not known for big crop production.
Places such as Samar and Sulu are where marginalized families, likewise, suffer from another kind of debilitating phenomenon: peace and order.
"Hinde namin kayo iiwan sa inyong mga pagsubok. Kaya kami ay namamahagi ng ayuda upang makabangon kayong muli at higit pang mapayabong ang inyong pamumuhay (We will not leave you to deal with your struggles by yourself. This is why we are handing out aid in order that you can get back on your feet and even further make your livelihood flourish)," he says to the marginalized farmers and fisherfolk in Sulu on July 5 to give millions in assistance to the province's farmers and fisherfolk that have been affected by the recent El Niño dry spell.
PBBM is the kind of leader who doesn't make empty promises. Since his assumption of office, he has hit the ground running and has kept the funnel of aid and services to the people constantly flowing. The provision of programs and services have been, likewise, accelerated.
As a result of PBBM's tutok (focused) style of leadership, the delivery of economic, financial or material assistance from agencies — which are commonly time-consuming — have been substantially bumped up due to PBBM's regular provincial sorties.
In his swing to Eastern Visayas on July 4, the President has brought with him a big chunk of the executive branch. As he gave millions in assistance to the rural folk and marginalized families in Southern Leyte, Biliran, Leyte and the three Samar provinces, the Labor Department was also with him to provide emergency jobs and livelihood to hundreds of marginalized workers in the region.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) gave starter kits and skills training for some of the region's workforce while the Department of Agriculture handed out farm inputs, tools, and equipment and while the Trade department handed out small business opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs.
The President, however, is not merely doing the obvious. Over and above his presidential trips to provide aid and services are his big-picture programs. These are the goals and projects that turn the engine of the country's economic growth and, likewise, churn the gyres of large-scale infra projects and move the large wheels of regional development.
These development programs, in turn, move the smaller wheels of community assistance, the provision of materiel aid, livelihood and capacity building assistance, and aid for the marginalized and vulnerable — a sector that PBBM has already served and reached in the hundreds of thousands in just his sophomore year.
And, neither is the President's dizzying provincial sorties confined to providing in situ economic and financial assistance.
His trips also include addressing fundamental social issues such as fast-tracking the agrarian reform program in order that the millions of still landless families may eventually have their own lands; thereby, fulfilling the government's long goal of attaining social equity and justice, especially for the poor in the countryside.
A mere third way into his term, President Bongbong Marcos has already awarded the Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) to thousands of beneficiaries of the government's agrarian reform program. PBBM has vowed to give one million CLOAs to farmers by the time he steps down in 2028.
"Ito ay katuparan ng ating pangako na suyurin ang buong bansa at ang bawat lalawigan upang palakasin ang hanay ng ating mga magsasaka. Maliban sa paghahandog ng inyong mga titulo layon din namin makita ng personal ang kalagayan ng inyong mga kumunidad upang lubos naming (mabawasan) ang inyong mga pangangailangan at magawa agad ito ng paraan at bigyan agad ito ng solusyon (This is the fulfillment of our promise to coax the whole nation and each province in order to strengthen the farmers' sector. Aside from presenting you with your land titles, it is also our aim to personally see the condition of your communities in order for us to fully lessen your lack of necessities and to find solutions immediately)," says PBBM.
That's a president who does what he says, a leader who doesn't just mouth platitudes and one who does the actual work, that herculean task of lifting everybody up.
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