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Here's the Full Transcript of President Bongbong Marcos' Inauguration Speech

Bongbong Marcos was sworn in this morning as the 17th president of the Philippines. Watch his speech here, then read the full transcript below.

The full transcript of Bongbong Marcos' speech:

His Excellency David Hurley, governor-general of Australia, and first lady Linda Hurley,

Their Excellencies, special envoys, and heads of delegations

His Excellency most reverend Charles John Brown and the esteemed members of the diplomatic corps,

Vice President Sara Duterte,

President Fidel Ramos,

President Joseph Ejercito Estrada,

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and the honorable members of the Philippine Senate,

House Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco and the honorable members of the House of Representatives,

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and the honorable justices of the Supreme Court,

First Lady Liza Araneta, and my children, Alexander “Sandro”, Simon, and Vincent,

I could not proceed without a special greeting of course to the former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos,

Other distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

My friends,

My beloved countrymen,

A good afternoon to all!

This is a historic moment for us all. I feel it deep within me. You, the people have spoken and it is resounding. When my call for unity started to resonate with you, it did so because it echoed your yearning, mirrored your sentiments, and expressed your hopes for family, for country, and for a better future. That is why it reverberated and amplified as it did, to deliver the biggest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy.

By your vote, you rejected the politics of division. I offended none of my rivals in this campaign. I listened instead to what they were saying and I saw little incompatibility with my own ideas about jobs, fair wages, personal safety, and national strength and ending want in a land of plenty.

I believe that if we focus on the work at hand, and the work that will come to hand, we will go very far under my watch. You believe that too. And I listened to your voices who are calling for unity, unity, and unity. We will go further together than against each other, pushing forward not pulling each other back out of fear, out of a misplaced sense of weakness. But we are the furthest from weak. The Filipino diaspora flourishes even in the most inhospitable climes, where they are valued for their quality. The changes we shape will benefit all and will shortchange no one. I was not the instrument of change, you were that. You made it happen. I am now.

You picked me to be your servant to enable changes to benefit all. I fully understand the gravity of the responsibility that you've put on my shoulders. I do not take it lightly but I'm ready for the task. I will need your help. I want to rely on it but rest assured I do not predicate success on the wide cooperation that's needed. I will get it done.

I once knew a man who saw what little had been achieved since independence in a land filled with people with the greatest potential for achievement, and yet they were poor. But he got it done. Sometimes, with the needed support. Sometimes, without. So, will it be with his son. You will get no excuses from me.

I am here not to talk about the past. I am here to tell you about our future. A future of sufficiency, even plenty of readily available ways and means to get done what needs doing—by you, by me. We do not look back, but ahead. Up the road that we must take to a place better than the one we lost in the pandemic. Gains made and lost. Opportunities missed. Well-laid plans superseded by the pandemic. Indeed, ours was the fastest growing economy in the ASEAN byways now outdated. We shall be again, by radical change in the way the world must now work to recover what we lost in that fire, and move on from there.

We face prospects of the war abroad of which we are totally blameless. We seek friendship with all. But countries like ours will bear the brunt of it. And if the great powers draw the wrong lessons from the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine, the same dark prospect of conflict will spread to our part of the world.

Yet there is more out there. Like going forward by new ways of doing, that the pandemic forces to adopt, a stronger resilience, quicker adaptability. They are our best prevention, they are our best protection. Quiet reflection in a rough and tumbled campaign of a breadth and intensity never experienced reveal some of them. Such as the willingness to listen despite the noise, the hesitation to quarrel over differences and to never ever give up hope of reconciliation. These gave me the piece to ponder deeper. There are hints of a road not taken that could get us out of here quicker, to something better, something less fragile. There is also what you the people did to cope but this time empowered by new techniques and more resources. You got by, getting some of what you needed with a massive government help. And for this I thank my predecessor for the courage of his hard decisions. But there is a way to put more means and choices in your hands. I trust the Filipino.

Imagine how much more you'd achieve, if the government backstops instead of dictating your decisions. Always there to pick you up when you fall. Giving what you need to get past a problem. Imagine if it invested in your self empowerment to bring it closer to taking on whatever challenges come. Imagine, a country that in almost every sense is you. Now imagine what you and the government can achieve together. We did it in the pandemic and we will do it again.

But again, I will not predicate my promise to you on your cooperation. You have your own lives to live. Your work to do and there too I will help. Government will get as much done alone without requiring more from you. That is what government and public officials are for. No excuses. Just deliver. It was like that, once upon a time.

I did not talk much in this campaign. I did not bother to think of rebutting my rivals. Instead, I searched for promising approaches better than the usual solutions. I listened to you. I did not lecture you who has the biggest stake in our success and the forthcoming State of the Nation will tell you exactly how we shall get this done.

In this fresh chapter of our history, I extend my hand to all Filipinos. Come, let us put our shoulders to the wheel and give that wheel a faster turn to repair and to rebuild and to address challenges in new ways to provide what all Filipinos need to be all that we can. We are here to repair a house divided, to make it whole and to stand strong again in the bayanihan way, expressive of our nature as Filipinos. We shall seek, not scorn dialogue, listen respectfully to contrary views, be open to suggestions coming from hard thinking and unsparing judgment but always from us, Filipinos. We can trust no one else when it comes to what is best for us. Past history has often proven that.

Solutions from outside divided us, none deepened our understanding. They were always at our expense. Never forget, we are Filipinos, one nation, one republic indivisible. We resisted and never failed to defeat foreign attempts to break our country in my father's watch. His strongest critics have conceded that. So let us all be part of the solution that we choose. In that lies the power to get it done, always be open to differing views but ever united in our chosen goal. Never hesitating to change it should it prove one thing. That is how agile and resilient republics are made. Our future we decide today, yesterday cannot make that decision anymore, nor can tomorrow delay it. The sooner we start, the surer and quicker the prospect of achieving our future.

These are troubling times, what's happening to others can happen to us but it will not. We see what is happening. We are witness to how it is being stopped and we have seen the glory that crowns struggle against all odds. Giving up is not an option. We've been through times of bitter division but united. We came through to this when it shall begin again but better.

The campaigns have run, and have taken me here where I stand today. I listened to you and this is what I have heard. We all want peace in our land. You and your children want a good chance of a better life, in a safer, more prosperous country. All that is within reach of a hard working, warm and giving race. Your dreams are mine. Your hopes are my hopes. How can we make them come true? How can we do it together? But I will take it as far as anyone with the same faith and commitment can as if it depended entirely on himself. In our hope to make our country peaceful, your hope is my hope. In your hope of making our country successful, your hope is my hope. And in our hope for our brighter future and the futures of our children, your hope is my hope.

We are presently drawing up a comprehensive all-inclusive plan for economic transformation. We will build back better by doing things in the light of the experiences that we have had. Both good and bad. It doesn't matter. No looking back in anger or nostalgia. In the road ahead, the immediate months will be rough but I will walk that road with you. The pandemic ravaged bigger economies than ours. The virus is not the only thing to blame. What had been well-built was torn down. We will build it back better.

The role of agriculture cries for urgent attention that its neglect and misdirection now demands. Food self-sufficiency is the key promise of every administration. None but one delivered. There were inherent defects in the old ways and in recent ways too. The trade policy of competitive advantage made the case that when it comes to food sufficiency a country should not produce, but import what other countries make more of and sell cheapest. Then came Ukraine, the most vulnerable when it comes to food are the countries farthest away from the conflict. Those bearing no blame for provoking. Yet they face the biggest risk of starvation. If financial aid is poured into them, though it never is, there is nothing to buy. Food is not just a trade commodity. Without it, people weaken and die, societies come apart. It is more than a livelihood, it is an existential imperative, and a moral one. An agriculture damage diminished by unfair competition will have a harder time or will have no prospects at all of recovering. Food sufficiency must get the preferential treatment. The richest free trade countries always gave their agricultural sectors. Their policy boils down to don't do as we do. Do what we tell you to. I am giving that policy the most serious thought if that doesn't change or make more allowances for emergencies with long-term effects.

There is a parallel problem in our energy supply. Sufficient fossil fuel-free technology for whole economies has yet to be invented and it is not seriously tried by rich countries. Again, consider the response of the richest countries to the war in Ukraine. But surely, a free world awashed with oil can assure supplies or we will find a way. We are not far from oil and gas reserves that have already been developed.

What we teach in our schools, the materials used, must be rethought. I am not talking about history, I am talking about the basics, the sciences, sharpening theoretical aptitude and imparting vocational skills such as in the German example. Alongside, the national language, with equal emphasis and facility in a global language, which we had and lost.

Let us give OFWs all the advantages we can to survive and to thrive. Our teachers, from elementary, are heroes fighting ignorance with poor paper weapons. We are condemning the future of our race to menial occupations abroad. Then, they are exploited by traffickers. Once, we had an education system that prepared coming generations for more and better jobs. There is hope for a comeback. Vice President and soon Secretary of Education Sara Duterte-Carpio will fit that mission to a tee.

We won't be caught unprepared, underequipped, and understaffed to fight the next pandemic. To start with, we never got over the pandemic of poor, if any, free public health. The last major upgrade of a public health system exemplified by the resources poured into the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) predates the current shambles by three generations.

Our nurses are the best in the world. They acquitted themselves with the highest distinction abroad, having suffered even the highest casualties. With the same exemplary dedication at home, they just got by. They are out there because we cannot pay them for the same risk and workload that we have back here. There will be changes starting tomorrow. I am confident because I have an Ople in my cabinet.

There were shortcomings in the COVID response. We will fix them. Out in the open, no more secrets in public health. Remember, I speak from experience. I was among the first to get COVID. It was not a walk in the park.

My father built more and better roads. Produced more rice than all administrations before his. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte built more and better than all the succeeding administrations succeeding my father's. Much has been built and so well that the economic dogma of dispersing industry to develop the least likely places has been upturned. Development was brought to them. Investors are now setting up industries along the promising routes built. And yet, the potential of this country is not exhausted.

Following these giants' steps, we will continue to build, I will complete on schedule the projects that have been started. I am not interested in taking credit. I want to build on the success that's already happening. We will be presenting the public with a comprehensive infrastructure plan, six years could be just about enough time. No part of our country will be neglected. Progress will be made wherever there are Filipinos so, no investment is wasted.

The recovery of Philippine tourism with its emphasis on accessing nature's beauty, I am sure it will exceed expectations.

And bigger is not always better but there's something to be said for economies of scale. And yet the country invites investments in fast-rising industries with quick returns and inflicts irreparable damage for future generations.

We have yet to see large-scale practical solutions to pollution. Though some are beginning to emerge, there are tried and proven new ways of mitigation. Blades have been turning over the sand dunes of Ilocos Norte. Harnessing a power all around but unseen long before this day. I built them.

The rich world talks a great deal but does a lot less about it than those with much less but who suffer more death and destruction from climate change and lack of adaptation. We will look to our partners and friends to help the Philippines who despite having a very small carbon footprint is at the highest risk. First, spare victims and help them recover, and move on to lessen the harmful impact of climate change. We too have our part to play. We are the third biggest plastics polluter in the world, but we won't shirk from that responsibility. We will clean up.

You will not be disappointed. So do not be afraid.

With every difficult decision that I must make, I will keep foremost in my heart and in my mind the debt of gratitude I owe you for the honor and responsibility that you have conferred on me. Whatever is in a person to make changes for the better of others, I lay before you now in my commitment, I will try to spare you. You have other responsibilities to carry but I will not spare myself from shedding the last bead of sweat or giving the last ounce of courage and sacrifice.

And if you ask me why I am so confident of the future, I will answer you simply that I have 110 million reasons to start with. Such is my faith in the Filipino.

Believe, have hope. The sun also rises like it did today and as it will tomorrow. And as surely as that, we will achieve the country, all Filipinos deserve.

God bless the Philippines, God bless our work.

Thank you very much to all of you. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

Good afternoon.

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Marcos’ inaugural address: What was said, promised, left behind

MANILA, Philippines—Last June 30, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s inaugural address as the 17th president of the Philippines focused on looking at the country’s future, rather than looking back at the past—while giving tribute to his late father and namesake.

Marcos, who won by a big margin in the 2022 presidential race after getting over 31 million votes, took his oath of office at noon of June 30 at the National Museum grounds in Manila—a historical location that has hosted the inauguration of some of the country’s former leaders.

READ: It’s official: Bongbong Marcos sworn in as PH’s 17th President

Following the oath-taking, Marcos delivered his very first speech as a sworn-in president—in which he mentioned some of his administration’s priorities and promises, like fixing the former administration’s shortcomings.

Unity, which was Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte’s campaign slogan, was also mentioned in the new president’s speech.

When it comes to history—a topic that has been haunting the president and his family, especially during the whole campaign period, because of the late Marcos’ more than 20-year reign as Philippine ruler—the new president in his speech, however, chose to encourage the public to look forward and to not look back.

Still, the newly-elected president did not forget to give tribute and praise to his late father’s legacy.

In this article, INQUIRER.net will dissect Marcos’ inaugural address and examine the highlights of the speech, as well as false claims, and topics that were left unsaid and undiscussed.

Not dwelling on past

In his speech, which was around 2,800 words and 25 minutes long, one of the first things Marcos dwelt heavily on was about focusing on the country’s future under his administration.

READ: Presidential inaugurations: Traditions, rituals, trivia

“I am here not to talk about the past,” he said, “I am here to tell you about our future.”

“A future of sufficiency, even plenty of readily available ways and means to get done what needs doing—by you, by me. We do not look back, but ahead. Up the road that we must take to a place better than the one we lost in the pandemic,” he continued.

However, Marcos did not forget to mention and hail his father and the late dictator’s legacy.

“I once knew a man who saw what little had been achieved since independence in a land filled with people with the greatest potential for achievement, and yet they were poor. But he got it done. Sometimes, with the needed support. Sometimes, without,” he said.

“So, will it be with his son. You will get no excuses from me.”

The so-called “golden age” of strongman rule—as claimed by the Marcos family and their supporters—during the late president’s administration became a huge factor in wooing voters and supporters for the younger Marcos’ campaign during the elections last May.

Marcos also claimed in his speech that his father also built “more and better roads.”

Although the president could not help harking back to the days of “glory” under his father, his speech did not mention or discuss the allegations of human rights violations, corruption, and ill-gotten wealth amassed by the late dictator.

READ: Bongbong Marcos: We do not look back, but ahead

Speeches delivered decades apart.

The new president did not only look back at his father’s days as the former leader of the country. Parts of his inaugural address also bore a resemblance to portions of two of his father’s inaugural speeches delivered decades ago.

GRAPHIC Ed Lustan

In his speech, the new president said:

“Your dreams are mine. Your hopes are my hopes. How can we make them come true? How can we do it together? But I will take it as far as anyone with the same faith and commitment can as if it depended entirely on himself.”

“In our hope to make our country peaceful, your hope is my hope. In your hope of making our country successful, your hope is my hope. And in our hope for our brighter future and the futures of our children, your hope is my hope.”

On Dec. 30, 1965, the late Marcos said almost the same line during his inaugural address delivered at the Quirino Grandstand.

“This is your dream and mine. By your choice, you have committed yourselves to it. Come then, let us march together towards the dream of greatness,” said Marcos Sr.

Another key part of the newly sworn-in president’s speech was when he talked about unity.

“When my call for unity started to resonate with you, it did so because it echoed your yearning, mirrored your sentiments, and expressed your hopes for family, for country, and for a better future,” he said.

“I believe that if we focus on the work at hand, and the work that will come to hand, we will go very far under my watch. You believe that too. And I listened to your voices who are calling for unity, unity, and unity. We will go further together than against each other, pushing forward not pulling each other back out of fear, out of a misplaced sense of weakness.”

Many years ago, on June 30, 1981, the late Marcos also talked about unity during his inaugural address, which he said should be cultivated as a new national tradition.

“National unity is a covenant between each and every Filipino, and between the leader and his people. The rare honor that you have bestowed on me as your thrice-elected leader imposes on my person— and those close to me—a debt, an obligation that I cannot shirk, and a pledge that I dare not betray.”

“We must apply to the cultivation of a new national tradition of Filipino-unity, in which Christian and Muslim are brothers in blood and aspiration, in which religious freedom is not only a guarantee but also a true and enduring bond to hold all men together, none of them less than the others because of his religious creed or mode of worship.”

What comes next?

Without mentioning the previous administration led by former President Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos said there were “gains made and lost” and “opportunities missed.”

He also added that some previously “well-laid” plans were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We shall be again, by radical change in the way the world must now work to recover what we lost in that fire, and move on from there,” he said.

Marcos likewise highlighted the shortcomings of his predecessor’s COVID response. He promised to fix these shortcomings and assured that his government will no longer have secrets in public health.

“There were shortcomings in the COVID response. We will fix them. Out in the open, no more secrets in public health. Remember, I speak from experience. I was among the first to get COVID. It was not a walk in the park,” the new president said.

“We won’t be caught unprepared, under-equipped, and understaffed to fight the next pandemic. To start with, we never got over the pandemic of poor, if any, free public health.”

READ: ‘No more secrets’: Bongbong Marcos vows to fix COVID-19 response snags

Although Marcos did not specify the previous administration’s shortcomings in the COVID response, now former health secretary Francisco Duque III previously said the current administration will face at least three major health challenges.

Among these challenges include “building on the gains” of the Duterte administration in terms of its pandemic response. Another challenge is the country’s vaccine booster coverage, as the former health chief admitted that the country is still “struggling” with it.

“I will be the first one to admit that we’re struggling with the booster. But we have not given up, and the next administration will see the wisdom of what we have done in DOH, particularly in improving access to the booster dose for our people,” Duque said.

Further, Duque said the incoming government should also expand the country’s primary care services, which he described as “inadequate.”

READ: Bongbong Marcos’ admin to face at least 3 ‘major’ health challenges — Duque

Looking forward, Marcos assured the public that history will not be retaught in schools under his administration.

“What we teach in our schools, the materials used, must be retaught. I am not talking about history, I am talking about the basics, the sciences, sharpening theoretical aptitude and imparting vocational skills such as in the German example,” he said.

He also promised to continue the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program despite the country’s ballooning debt. The president likewise promised to pursue an independent foreign policy.

Focus on food self-sufficiency

The new chief executive, who also said previously that he would take the role of the agriculture secretary, also discussed food self-sufficiency in his inaugural speech—which seems to be his administration’s priority.

READ: Marcos takes agri post, vows to reorganize DA

“The trade policy of competitive advantage made the case that when it comes to food sufficiency a country should not produce, but import what other countries make more of and sell cheapest,” said Marcos.

“Food sufficiency must get the preferential treatment. The richest free trade countries always gave their agricultural sectors. Their policy boils down to don’t do as we do. Do what we tell you to,” he added.

“I am giving that policy the most serious thought if that doesn’t change or make more allowances for emergencies with long-term effects.”

Amid the disruptions in worldwide food prices due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Marcos said there is a need for “radical changes”

Agricultural groups have welcomed the new president’s pledge to prioritize local production over food importation.

READ: Groups welcome Bongbong Marcos’ ‘food self-sufficiency’ mantra

One of Marcos’ promises was to bring down the price of rice to as low as P20 to P30 per kilo by recommending a price cap on the staple.

READ: The wait-and-see period for Bongbong Marcos’ ‘P20 rice’ promise

While some agricultural stakeholders claimed it was impossible to bring down the price of rice to P20 per kilo because the cost of producing, marketing, and shipping the staple alone has substantially increased, Agrarian Reform Secretary Bernie Cruz recently said it was possible for consumers to buy a kilo of rice at P20 as early as next year.

READ: P20 per kilo rice possible as early as 2023 – DAR

Spotted: false claims.

Although Marcos’ first speech as president was well-written, some critics could not help but notice some false claims that were mentioned throughout the entire inaugural address.

“The role of agriculture cries for urgent attention that its neglect and misdirection now demands. Food self-sufficiency has been the key promise of every administration. None but one delivered,” Marcos said.

It was not clear who Marcos was referring to since he did not elaborate. However, others pointed out that he was referring to his namesake and father.

READ: ‘None but one delivered,’ Marcos says on promised food self-sufficiency

Marcos’ father, during his term, introduced the Masagana 99 program, which was defined by author Emmanuel Esguerra in an article published in the Philippine Sociological Review in 1980 as “an annual crash program for palay production that aims to raise the yield per hectare of palay cropland from a national average of about 40 hectares to 99 cavans per hectare.”

Essentially, it was a credit program with the goal to boost rice production in the country. Unfortunately and eventually, Masagana 99 failed.

“Sadly, Masagana 99 proved to be short-lived and unsustainable mainly due to the costly subsidies and failure of many farmers-borrowers to repay the loans,” agronomist and former president of the University of the Philippines Dr. Emil Q. Javier wrote in a column in 2016.

READ: The continuing Marcos revisionism

Critics have also pointed out Marcos’ false claim on Ilocos windmills.

The president has claimed anew that he was the one who built the windmills in his home province Ilocos Norte, but it has been fact-checked before, and was found that the windmills were actually built by private companies.

“Blades have been turning over the sand dunes of Ilocos Norte. Harnessing a power all around but unseen long before this day,” Marcos said, “I built them.”

The Bangui Bay Wind Power Project, the first wind farm in Bangui, was a project of NorthWind Power Development Corp. The private firm received funding from the World Bank.

READ: More wind farms to be developed in Ilocos Norte

The Caparispisan Wind Farm—also called the North Luzon Renewables Wind Farm—was a result of a joint venture of AC Energy, UPC Philippines, Mitsubishi Corporation’s Diamond Generating Asia, and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure Fund.

The EDC Burgos Wind Power Corp., a subsidiary of the Lopez-owned Energy Development Corp. and First Gen Corp., meanwhile owned and operates the Burgos Wind Project.

What was left unsaid?

In a series of articles, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) pointed out that Marcos has failed to address in his inaugural speech some of the key topics and issues gripping the country.

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Among these were:

• Whether or not the public will get to see a copy of his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) as president
• The Freedom of Information (FOI) bill
• Attacks against press freedom in the Philippines
• The Bangsamoro peace process
• Duterte’s drug war and the ICC probe
• The corruption issues and allegations surrounding his family.

READ: Marcos Inauguration: What he said — and didn’t say — in first speech as president

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Portal : Speeches by Philippine Presidents

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Duterte’s Ironic Free Speech Advocacy in the Philippines

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The war of words between the Duterte and Marcos clans has made the former president an unlikely – and unconvincing – champion of free expression.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during his speech in Davao, southern Philippines late Sunday Jan. 28, 2024.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned against the deterioration of freedom of expression under the government of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

After a planned rally was canceled in Tacloban City on May 25, Duterte issued a public statement blaming “the forces of darkness that threaten not only our rights to express our grievances but the very existence of our nation.”

He accused his successor of sabotaging the rally, whose speakers included not only himself but his close allies as well. “As part of the Marcos administration’s policy of stifling peaceful dissent, they are doing everything to prevent this rally from happening,” he added.

The former president claimed that dissent was tolerated during his term. “I was city mayor for 22 years and president for six years but I never, never ever prevented anyone from exercising his or her right to peacefully assemble,” he said.

He minced no words in describing the state of the nation. “Freedom of expression is very important and even more so now when there is no transparency, accountability, peace and security in our country. It is a sad day for Philippine democracy,” he said.

Tacloban is the bailiwick of the Romualdez clan whose matriarch is Imelda Marcos, the mother of the incumbent president and former first lady during the Martial Law dictatorship.

Duterte insinuated that local Romualdez officials had a hand in the cancellation of the activity. The city government has denied this and pointed out that a typhoon disrupted many events, including the planned rally.

Perhaps Duterte and his camp had already noticed a disturbing pattern. On May 7, the venue of Duterte’s rally in Dumaguete City was moved twice after permits were revoked at the last minute. On April 28, Duterte’s rally in Bustos, Bulacan was abruptly canceled.

Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, son of the former president, expressed disgust over the cancellation of the assembly in Bulacan.

“This will not silence us but rather this will inspire us even more to continue to fight for transparency, accountability, and against any form of oppression by this current administration. We shall continue to protect the constitution,” the mayor wrote on his Facebook page.

Since January, the Dutertes have been attending monthly “prayer rallies” aimed at mobilizing public opposition to the charter change proposal put forward by Marcos’ allies. The elder Duterte said that the constitutional amendment bill is a ploy to extend Marcos’ term, which ends in 2028.

These “prayer rallies” have become controversial because of the presence of politicians and prospective candidates in the 2025 midterm election, and also because of Duterte’s tirades against Marcos, whom he has repeatedly accused of being a drug addict. At one point, Duterte’s son even called for the president to resign.

Despite this “word war,” the Dutertes and Marcoses are still allies in the ruling coalition. Duterte’s daughter is the country’s vice president and is concurrently education secretary in the Marcos Cabinet.

Duterte’s critical remarks against the leadership of Marcos could signal the worsening rift between the two influential political dynasties. The tension might turn into an open split that could divide the ranks of the ruling party ahead of the midterm polls next year.

Duterte may have a valid basis for decrying the state of freedom or unfreedom in the country but he lacks the credibility to be a champion of free speech. During his presidency, he consistently attacked the press for its critical coverage of the government’s brutal “war on drugs.” He supported the closure of the country’s largest media broadcaster while enabling the rise of social media influencers who peddled disinformation against state critics. He demonized activists, red-tagged civil society groups, and criminalized the work of human rights defenders. Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that identified red-tagging as a threat to a person’s life, security, and liberty.

Marcos could claim that his government is merely continuing the policies of his predecessor. But that does not excuse the human rights abuses and restrictions imposed on the local population. Media watchdogs have recorded around 135 incidents of attacks and threats against journalists under the Marcos presidency.

In other words, both Duterte and Marcos are guilty of weaponizing laws that eroded the country’s civic space. It is therefore absurd for Duterte to complain about state harassment when he is in many ways responsible for normalizing repression in the bureaucracy.

As an Inquirer editorial correctly pointed out, Duterte’s statement about government intolerance is “empty rhetoric by a person who craves the attention he once enjoyed.”

“He is the last person in the Philippines who can claim fealty or allegiance to the right of the people to free expression within the bounds of the law,” the editorial added.

Indeed, there are worrying signs today about the continuing hardships faced by the media in fulfilling their duty and the legal barriers that undermine the work of people’s organizations. But when opposition forces push back against tyranny, they demand accountability not just from Marcos Jr but also from Duterte as well.

Philippine Vice President Duterte Quits Marcos Cabinet, Solidifying Rift

By sebastian strangio.

The Marcos-Duterte Rift Widens in the Philippines

By mong palatino.

Ex-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte Leads ‘Prayer Rallies’ Against Charter Change

Are the Dutertes the New Opposition in the Philippines?

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China and the Philippines Inch Closer to Conflict in the South China Sea

By Saqlain Rizve

Maldives Bans Israeli Tourists, Then Rethinks Decision

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FACT SHEET: The 2024 G7 Summit in Apulia,   Italy

President Biden and G7 leaders stood united at the G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy, taking bold action to meet the tests of our time:  supporting Ukraine’s fight for freedom and driving up the costs of Russia’s war, pushing back on unfair economic practices, tackling the climate crisis and food and health insecurity, harnessing critical technologies for the benefit of all, and working with partners around the world to support developing countries investing in their futures. Supporting Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom Joined by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, G7 leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes – sending an unmistakable signal to Putin that he will not outlast our resolve. 

• Unlocking $50 billion for Ukraine:  G7 leaders announced a plan to provide Ukraine with $50 billion in new financing by bringing forward the interest earned on immobilized Russian sovereign assets held in the European Union and other jurisdictions.  Leaders reaffirmed their commitment that Russia’s sovereign assets within G7 jurisdictions will remain immobilized until Russia ends its aggression and pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine.  This new financing will provide critically needed support for Ukraine’s military, budget, and reconstruction needs.  The United States will work with Ukraine and G7 partners in the coming months to finalize the details of the financing arrangement and issue the loan by the end of the year.
• Driving Up Costs for the Russian War Machine:  The Biden Administration this week issued a sweeping set of new sanctions and export control measures, guided by G7 commitments to intensify the pressure on Russia for its war against Ukraine.  Foreign banks now face increased sanctions risk when they deal with Russia’s war economy.  New sanctions on more than 300 individuals and entities in Russia, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and globally target Russia’s financial infrastructure; over a dozen international evasion and procurement networks; Russia’s future energy, metals, and mining revenues; and Russian elites involved in the deportation or so-called re-education of Ukrainian children.  The Administration also announced steps to restrict access to certain U.S. software and information technology services, to crack down on diversion of goods through shell companies, and to more extensively restrict exports to entities that supply Russia with U.S.-branded items produced overseas.
• Supporting Ukraine Now and in the Future.  In Puglia, President Biden and President Zelensky signed the U.S.-Ukraine Bilateral Security Agreement as a demonstration of enduring U.S. support for Ukraine, including through binding commitments to deepen our security and defense cooperation and to consult in the event of a future armed attack.

Advancing International Peace, Security, and Prosperity The G7’s work is grounded in a shared commitment to respect the UN Charter, promote international peace and security, and uphold the free and open rules-based international order.

• Calling for a Comprehensive Deal in Gaza:  The G7 was united in supporting the comprehensive deal outlined by President Biden that would lead to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, a significant and sustained increase in the flow of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza, and an enduring end to the crisis, with Israel’s security interests and safety for Palestinian civilians in Gaza assured.
• Standing with Allies and Partners in the Indo-Pacific:   President Biden discussed robust U.S. engagement in the Indo-Pacific to strengthen our alliances and partnerships, and welcomed the increasing connectivity between European and Indo-Pacific partners.  He joined with other leaders in stressing the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and in raising concerns regarding the PRC’s dangerous actions in the South China Sea.
• Deepening Cooperation with Partners in Africa:   The G7 is working together with African partners to contribute to global stability and prosperity, and have endorsed African countries’ call for greater voice in international bodies.

Promoting Economic Resilience and Economic Security President Biden rallied the G7 to take further steps to protect our workers, industries, and the investments we are making from begin undermined by the PRC’s unfair practices.  The PRC’s policies are creating global spillovers, including harmful overcapacity, that undercut market firms and lead to supply chain dependencies in sectors such as solar, wind, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, medical devices, mature-node semiconductors, steel, aluminum, and others. 

• Working Together to Level the Playing Field and Protect Economic Security:   The G7 pledged to work together to confront non-market policies and practices and efforts to dominate strategic sectors.  The G7 will undertake new monitoring and information-sharing efforts, update our respective toolkits to counter harmful practices, and coordinate efforts to deter and respond to economic coercion. 
• Building Partnerships to Promote Resilient Supply Chains and Reduce Critical Dependencies:   The G7 will work with partners in developing countries and emerging markets to increase their participation in global supply chains while promoting high standards.
• Protecting Critical and Sensitive Technologies:   We are updating our respective tools to protect certain critical and sensitive technologies from being used to undermine international peace and security, while avoiding broader restrictions on international trade and investment.  The G7 is also strengthening cooperation on research security, data security, and investment screening efforts, and coordinating to streamline the implementation of export controls.

Partnering with Developing Countries to Invest in their Future The G7 is taking ambitious steps to scale up support to developing countries and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Breaking the Global Debt Impasse:   Recognizing that mounting debt burdens are putting developing countries’ ability to make such critical investments out of reach, President Biden – alongside Kenyan President Ruto – championed and garnered G7 support for the Nairobi-Washington Vision that calls on the international community to step up support for developing countries to make critical investments and reforms.  The G7 committed to work with the IMF, World Bank, and other stakeholders to bring this plan forward, with a view to realizing it for pilot countries this year.
• Boosting the Financial Power of the International Financial Institutions:  President Biden further championed efforts to deliver better, bigger, more effective multilateral development banks (MDBs).  The G7 rallied together to announce planned contributions which, once approved domestically, would make it possible for the World Bank to boost lending by $70 billion over the next decade.  This is on top of efforts from the United States and other MDB shareholders to unlock over $250 billion in new lending capacity at these institutions. 
• Delivering on the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI):   President Biden and Italian Prime Minister Meloni co-hosted a PGI side event that included participation by BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink and Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella.  G7 leaders and private sector executives reaffirmed their commitment to unlocking public and private capital for investments in partner countries, demonstrated by BlackRock’s announcement that a group of investors plan to invest at least $4 billion in alignment with PGI priorities and Microsoft’s announcement of $5 billion in recent digital infrastructure investments in emerging markets.  President Biden announced new projects and highlighted progress on PGI economic corridors, including the Lobito Corridor in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Luzon Corridor in the Philippines.  The United States has mobilized more than $60 billion to date towards PGI.

Accelerating the Clean Energy Transition to Address Climate Change The G7 is accelerating its work to address the challenges of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.  G7 members reaffirmed ambitious COP28 commitments to triple renewable energy capacity, double global energy efficiency by 2030, and strengthen energy security.

• Phasing Out Unabated Coal Power and Increasing Energy Storage:   The G7 has committed for the first time to phase out unabated coal power generation in energy systems during the first half of the 2030s.  The G7 has also further set a target to deploy 1,500 GW of long-duration energy storage by 2030, building on top of the COP28 pledge to triple globally installed renewable energy by 2030.
• Building Clean and Resilient Supply Chains:  Working with Congress, President Biden announced that the United States intends to contribute $5 million to the Partnership for Resilient and Inclusive Supply-Chain Enhancement (RISE), launched by the G7 last year.  RISE supports low- and middle-income countries to invest in their economies and strengthen their engagement throughout critical minerals supply chains, helping to drive the clean energy transition and promote resilient supply chains.
• Promoting International Collaboration on Nuclear and Fusion Energy:  The G7 recognized nuclear energy as a clean/zero emissions energy source that can reduce dependence on fossil fuels to address the climate crisis and improve global energy security, and pledged to support multilateral efforts to strengthen the resilience of nuclear supply chains.  Recognizing the potential for fusion energy to serve as a breakthrough energy solution, the G7 is establishing a Working Group on Fusion Energy to share best practices and promote cooperation on research and development.

Promoting Health and Food Security The G7 continues to lead global efforts to address the food security crisis and support strong, resilient and responsive health systems around the world.

• Launching the Apulia Food Security Initiative:  G7 leaders joined Italy in launching the Apulia Food Security Initiative to address structural barriers to food security and nutrition and build more resilient, sustainable, and productive agriculture and food systems.  Aligned with the United States’ signature food security initiative, The Feed the Future Initiative, as well as the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils, the G7 recommitted to investing in sustainable and resilient food systems and in healthy, fertile soil management and climate-adapted crop varieties.
• Transforming Global Health Security Financing:  President Biden and G7 leaders called for at least $2 billion in new pledges for the Pandemic Fund, and pledges equal to or greater than that for catalytic financing, which helps developing countries build pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capacities.  They additionally committed to achieve concrete progress to boost surge financing for medical countermeasure (MCM) to enable countries to quickly procure, produce, and deliver MCMs during future pandemics.
• Expanding Immunization Coverage :  President Biden and G7 leaders expressed support for a sustainable replenishment of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, this year, with the goal of significantly expanding immunization coverage globally.  President Biden committed to making a robust and multi-year pledge to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in support of this year’s replenishment and urged other G7 leaders to step up with ambitious pledges of their own.
• Addressing antimicrobial resistance ( AMR):   G7 Leaders committed to take action to address the emergence, spread, and impact of AMR, including through ensuring a successful High-Level Meeting on AMR in September 2024 that galvanizes action on this critical health, economic, and security threat.

Investing in Childcare to Support Women’s Economic Participation The G7 is tackling the unequal gender distribution of care work, which contributes to gender inequality.  The G7 committed to support, by 2035, at least 200 million more women to join the workforce by investing in efforts to close the global gap in the availability of childcare – including through the World Bank Invest in Childcare Initiative announced by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden in 2022 to help promote women’s economic opportunity.  G7 partners have contributed more than $100 million to the World Bank to support more high-quality investments in childcare globally.

Enhancing Our Partnership on Migration Drawn from the principles of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection that President Biden launched at the Summit of the Americas in 2022, the G7 affirmed a collective commitment to addressing migration in ways that reflect both the challenges and opportunities it presents.  Leaders endorsed a three-pronged approach focused on addressing root causes of irregular migration, strengthening safe and regular migration pathways, and enhancing border management and enforcement and curbing transnational organized crime. Deepening Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence In line with the Biden Administration’s vision laid out in the October 2023 Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence , the G7 is building partnerships around the world to ensure the benefits of artificial intelligence and other technologies are widely shared while mitigating risks.

• Bridging Technology Divides and Addressing AI’s Impact on Workers:   G7 leaders affirmed the importance of international partnerships to bridge the digital divide and ensure people everywhere access the benefits of AI and other technologies in order to make scientific advancements, promote sustainable development, improve public health, accelerate the clean energy transition, and more. G7 labor ministers will develop an action plan to leverage AI’s potential to increase quality jobs and empower workers while addressing its potential challenges and risks to workers and labor markets.

Increasing Coordination to Promote AI Safety:   G7 leaders committed to step up efforts to enhance interoperability between our respective approaches to AI governance and risk management.  This includes deepening cooperation between the U.S. AI Safety Institute and similar bodies in other G7 countries to advance international standards for AI development and deployment.

• Promoting Resilient Technology Supply Chains:  The G7 welcomed the establishment of a Semiconductors G7 Point of Contact Group to bolster our coordination on issues impacting this critical sector underpinning the AI ecosystem.

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For Filipinos across the globe, June is a time to honor the Philippines’ long-sought independence

People participate in the Philippine Independence Day parade in New York, Sunday, June 2, 2024. Independence Day in the Philippines is observed annually on June 12, commemorating the country’s independence from Spain in 1898. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison)

A plane flies above a Philippine flag at the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine, where Philippine independence from Spain was proclaimed in Kawit, Cavite province, Philippines, Monday, June 10, 2024. The revelry surrounding Philippine Independence Day, which falls on June 12, stretches far beyond the Southeast Asia archipelago. Millions of Filipinos across major U.S. cities, as well as Europe, Australia, and even the United Arab Emirates, will be able to find parades, street fairs, galas, and other gatherings close to home. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Workers prepare the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine where Philippine independence from Spain was proclaimed in Kawit, Cavite province, Philippines on Monday, June 10, 2024. The revelry surrounding Philippine Independence Day, which falls on June 12, stretches far beyond the Southeast Asia archipelago. Millions of Filipinos across major U.S. cities, as well as Europe, Australia, and even the United Arab Emirates, will be able to find parades, street fairs, galas, and other gatherings close to home. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Workers prepare the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine where Philippine independence from Spain was proclaimed in Kawit, Cavite province, Philippines, Monday, June 10, 2024. The revelry surrounding Philippine Independence Day, which falls on June 12, stretches far beyond the Southeast Asia archipelago. Millions of Filipinos across major U.S. cities, as well as Europe, Australia, and even the United Arab Emirates, will be able to find parades, street fairs, galas, and other gatherings close to home. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A worker prepares the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine, where Philippine independence from Spain was proclaimed in Kawit, Cavite province, Philippines, Monday, June 10, 2024. The revelry surrounding Philippine Independence Day, which falls on June 12, stretches far beyond the Southeast Asia archipelago. Millions of Filipinos across major U.S. cities, as well as Europe, Australia, and even the United Arab Emirates, will be able to find parades, street fairs, galas, and other gatherings close to home. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Children play at an obstacle course as organizers stage games as part of celebrations for Philippine Independence Day in Manila, Philippines, Monday, June 10, 2024. The revelry surrounding Philippine Independence Day, which falls on June 12, stretches far beyond the Southeast Asia archipelago. Millions of Filipinos across major U.S. cities, as well as Europe, Australia, and even the United Arab Emirates, will be able to find parades, street fairs, galas, and other gatherings close to home. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

People participate in the Philippine Independence Day parade in New York on Sunday, June 2, 2024. Independence Day in the Philippines is observed annually on June 12, commemorating the country’s independence from Spain in 1898. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison)

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In the Philippines — where Spanish and later U.S. colonial rule persisted for nearly four centuries — June 12 is the real Independence Day. That date in 1898 was the pivotal moment when the island nation first made a bold move for autonomy.

Ahead of this year’s holiday in Manila, the nation’s capital, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on Filipinos in a video message to display the country’s flag everywhere “as we continue to fight for independence. Independence in different aspects of our being Filipinos, but more than this independence in our territory, our sovereignty.”

Since 2023, the Philippines has faced increasingly tense territorial confrontations with Beijing in the South China Sea.

The much-awaited annual celebration would be festive with an array of activities, which started Monday at the capital’s historic Rizal Park, Marcos said. There’s a bazaar along with government stalls offering services to the public. The festivities include a cooking competition, a chili pepper-eating contest, free showing of movies about Filipino heroes, free nightly concerts and an obstacle-course race. A parade of 22 floats representing different provinces will be staged on Independence Day to be capped by a musical concert, he said.

The revelry surrounding Philippine Independence Day stretches far beyond the Southeast Asia archipelago, from the United Kingdom to the United Arab Emirates. Millions of Filipinos across cities in the U.S., Europe and Australia will be able to find parades, street fairs, galas and other gatherings close to home. Some are even flying in well-known talent from the Philippines. The occasion’s growing reach and inclusive ethos demonstrate how much the Filipino diaspora continues to assert cultural pride and flourish around the globe.

The fight for independence dates back to 1565 when Spain colonized the Philippines, naming it for King Philip II. It wasn’t until 1896 though that talk of revolution catalyzed action. Andrés Bonifacio, a leader of the Katipunan, a brotherhood of anti-Spain revolutionaries, and others tore up their “cedulas,” residential tax certificates for people considered Spanish subjects.

“It’s like tearing your passport or whatever identifies you as a citizen of a nation,” said Richard Chu, a history professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who was born in the Philippines. “So, they tore that up symbolically as a break and declared independence — or at least (were) fighting for independence from Spain.”

Emilio Aguinaldo, also a member of the Katipunan, saw an opportunity for liberation when the U.S. declared war on Spain on April 25, 1898, over its treatment of Cuba. On June 12, he proclaimed independence and a year later, even became the first president of the Philippine Republic. But, the U.S. refused to recognize the country as a stand-alone territory, igniting the Philippine-American War, which lasted until April 1902.

78 years of independence

The Philippines finally became independent on July 4, 1946. So, the Fourth of July was the traditional holiday until President Diosdado Macapagal changed it in 1964 to June 12.

As a child in the ‘70s, Chu remembers watching preparations in Rizal Park. Festivities started in the morning with the senior Marcos raising the flag as cabinet and military officers looked on. The parade was more of a “military parade followed by people from different government agencies.”

“It’s supposed to be a festive celebration and every other city or major town would have its own Independence Day celebrations,” Chu said.

Independence Day may evoke mixed feelings for some who don’t have the same nationalist fervor or agree with its government’s policies. This is one reason Chu doesn’t feel an urgent need to mark the holiday. At the same time, he likes being with other Filipinos in his community.

“If I lived in Boston, I probably would participate just because of the festivities, like the food vendors and maybe some popular Filipino American scenery,” Chu said. “I am proud to be Filipino for sure.”

Festivities in the U.S.

New York City held a parade and a street fair along Madison Avenue on June 2. The same weekend in Seattle there was a two-day Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival. There have been large fiestas and smaller picnics in Texas, California and Colorado, among other states.

In Phoenix, the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team is holding its first-ever Filipino Heritage Celebration at Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.

Amilyn Pierce, who is part Filipino and the Diamondbacks’ vice-president of government affairs, credits a team business consultant who is also Filipino, Hunter Fitton, with pitching the Independence Day event. He pointed out high presence of Filipinos in the state. He also recruited local Filipino dance groups and food trucks. Diamondbacks caps with the Philippines flag also sold out.

“I was surprised to find that out that there was such a huge Filipino community,” Pierce said. “I just really love that the team has made it a priority to reach outside of maybe what someone might think is the normal or the stereotypical demographic.”

Celebrations in Europe

Across countries in Europe, there are large gatherings with longstanding reputations. Given that the Filipino diaspora is one of the largest diaspora populations in the world, it’s not surprising how many celebrations there are, said Chu, the Amherst professor.

In the Netherlands, the Kalayann Fiesta Foundation Netherlands held an Independence Day Picnic over the weekend. Ice Seguerra, a popular Filipino actor and singer-songwriter who is a transgender man, was the guest performer.

Journey Torres, who immigrated to the Netherlands from the Philippines in 1999 when he was 8, recalls going to a Philippine Independence Day event in Amsterdam two years later. He described it as having the atmosphere of a small “family barbecue party.” There weren’t many other Filipinos then. But by the 2010s, jobs and cultural exchange programs brought more. The event gained more notoriety with Filipinos coming from Germany and Belgium.

“Now there are also busses that goes from Belgium to the Netherlands,” Torres said. “I believe it’s one of the first Philippine Independence Day celebrations that was organized here in mainland Europe.”

The Philippine Independence Day Association in Rome has been organizing events for over 15 years in hotels, parks and piazzas. They seem to keep getting bigger and drawing Filipinos from all over Italy, said Jaiane Morales, the event’s programming deputy.

This year’s daylong fete, which was Sunday, took place inside a concert hall but with Pinoy food stalls outside that, among other fare, served the traditional Filipino ice cream dessert of halo halo as well as the Italian classic gelato. The goal is to have a feast of food and “Filipiniana costumes,” Morales said.

The theme of the event’s talent show, “Balik Saya” or “returning joy,” is meant to foster meaningful connection abroad. Millions of Filipinos have departed the Philippines, a leading source of global labor, in search of jobs and better opportunities to earn and provide for loved ones they’ve left behind.

“If they are missing their families at home, then this is one way of easing that loneliness,” Morales said.

___ Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this report.

Terry Tang is a Phoenix-based member of AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. You can follow her on X at @ttangAP .

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FULL TEXT: President Marcos’ inaugural speech

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NEW LEADER, NEW PROMISES. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr delivers a speech after taking his oath of office t the National Museum of Fine Arts on June 30, 2022.

Alecs Ongcal/Rappler

Below is Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s inaugural speech delivered on Thursday, June 30.

His Excellency David Hurley, Governor-General of Australia, and First Lady Linda Hurley; their Excellencies, Special Envoys and Heads of Delegations; His Excellency Most Reverend Charles John Brown and the esteemed members of the Diplomatic Corps; Vice President Sara Duterte ; President Fidel Ramos; President Joseph Ejercito Estrada; President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; Senate President Vicente Sotto III and the honorable members of the Philippine Senate; House Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco and the honorable members of the House of Representatives; Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and the honorable justices of the Supreme Court; of course, First Lady Liza Araneta  and my children: Alexander, Sandro; Simon and Vincent ; I cannot proceed without a special greeting of course to the former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos; other distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen; my friends; ang aking minamahal na mga kababayan; magandang tanghali po sa inyong lahat.

This is a historic moment for us all. I feel it deep within me. You, the people, have spoken, and it is resounding. When my call for unity started to resonate with you, it did so because it echoed your yearnings, mirrored your sentiments, and expressed your hopes for family, for country, and for a better future. That is why it reverberated and amplified as it did, to deliver the biggest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy. 

By your vote, you rejected the politics of division. I offended none of my rivals in this campaign.  I listened instead to what they were saying and I saw little incompatibility with my own ideas: about jobs, fair wages, personal safety; and national strength; and ending want in a land of plenty. 

I believe that if we but focus on the work at hand, and the work that will come to hand, we will go very far under my watch. You believed that, too.  At pinakinggan ko ang tinig ninyo na ang sinisigaw ay “Pagkakaisa… Pagkakaisa… Pagkakaisa!” 

We will go farther together, than against each other; pushing forward, not pulling each other back — out of fear, out of a misplaced sense of weakness. But we are the farthest from weak. The Filipino diaspora flourishes even in the most inhospitable climes, where they’re valued for their quality. The changes we seek will benefit all and will shortchange no one. 

I was not the instrument of change. You were that; you made it happen.  I am now. You picked me to be your servant, to enable changes to benefit all. 

I fully understand the gravity of the responsibility that you’ve put on my shoulders. I do not take it lightly but I am ready for the task.  I will need your help; I want to rely on it. But rest assured, I do not predicate success on the wide cooperation that’s needed. 

I will get it done. I once knew a man who saw what little had been achieved since independence, in a land of people with the greatest potential for achievement; and yet they were poor. But he got it done; sometimes with the needed support; sometimes without. So will it be with his son. You will get no excuses from me. 

I am here not to talk about the past; I am here to tell you about our future.  A future of sufficiency even plenty; of readily available ways and means to get done what needs doing — by you, by me. 

We do not look back but ahead; up the road that we must take to a place better than the one we lost in the pandemic: gains made and lost; opportunities missed; well-laid plans superseded by the pandemic. 

Indeed, ours was the fastest-growing economy in ASEAN by ways now outdated. We shall be again by radical change in a way the world must now work to recover what we have lost in the fire. And move on from there.

We face prospects of the spread of the war abroad, of which we are totally blameless. We seek friendship with all. But countries like ours will bear the brunt of it. And if the great powers draw the wrong lessons from the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine, the same dark prospect of conflict will spread to our part of the world. 

Yet there is more out there, like going forward by new ways of doing the pandemic forced us to adopt. A stronger resilience, quicker adaptability, they are our best prevention, they are our best protection. 

Quiet reflection in a rough and tumble campaign — of a breadth and intensity never experienced, revealed some of them. Such as a willingness to listen despite the noise; the hesitation to quarrel over differences; and to never, ever give up hope of reconciliation. These gave me the peace to ponder deeper. There are hints of a road not taken that could get us out of here quicker, to something better, something less fragile. There is also what you, the people did to cope. But this time empowered by new techniques and more resources. 

You got by; getting some of what you needed with a massive government help. And for this, I thank my predecessor for the courage of his hard decisions. But there is a way to put more means and choices in your hands. I trust the Filipino.   

Imagine how much more you’d achieve if government backstops instead of dictating your decisions. Always there to pick you up when you fall; giving what you need to get past a problem. Imagine if it invested in your self-empowerment to bring it closer to taking on whatever challenges come. Imagine, a country that, in almost every sense, is you. Now imagine what you and government can achieve together.

We did it in the pandemic. We will do it again. But again, I will not predicate my promise to you on your cooperation. You have your own lives to live, your work to do — and there too I will help. Government will get as much done alone without requiring more from you. That is what government and public officials are for. No excuses; just deliver. It was like that, once upon a time. 

I did not talk much in this campaign; I did not bother to think of rebutting my rivals. Instead, I searched for promising approaches better than the usual solutions. I listened to you. I did not lecture you who has the biggest stake in our success. And the forthcoming State of the Nation will tell you exactly how we shall get this done. 

In this fresh chapter of our history, I extend my hand to all Filipinos. Come, let us put our shoulders to the wheel; and give that wheel a faster turn — to repair and to rebuild; and to address challenges in new ways; to provide what all Filipinos need; to be all that we can. We are here to repair a house divided; to make it whole and to stand strong again in the Bayanihan way, expressive of our nature as Filipinos.

We shall seek, not scorn dialogue; listen respectfully to contrary views; be open to suggestions coming from hard thinking and unsparing judgment. But always from us Filipinos. We can trust no one else when it comes to what is best for us. Past history has often proven that. 

Solutions from outside divided us; none deepened our understanding; they were always at our expense. Never forget we are Filipinos, one nation, one republic indivisible.  We resisted and never failed to defeat foreign attempts to break up our country in my father’s watch. His strongest critics have conceded that.

So let us all be part of the solution that we choose; in that lies the power to get it done.  Always be open to differing views but ever united in our chosen goal. Never hesitating to change it, should it prove wanting. That is how agile, resilient republics are made. 

Our future we decide today. Yesterday cannot make that decision anymore, nor can tomorrow delay it. The sooner we start, the surer and quicker the prospect of achieving our future. 

These are troubling times; what’s happening to others can happen to us; but it will not. We see what’s happening. We are witness to how it is being stopped. And we have seen the glory that crowns struggle against all odds. Giving up is not an option. We’ve been through times of bitter division; but united we came through to this when it shall begin again. But better.

The campaigns I’ve run have taken me here where I stand today. I listened to you; and this is what I have heard. 

We all want peace in our land. You and your children want a good chance at a better life; in a safer, more prosperous country. All that is within reach of a hardworking, warm, and giving race. Your dreams are mine; pangarap ‘nyo ay pangarap ko.  How can we make them come true? How can we do it together? 

But I will take it as far as anyone with the same faith and commitment can – as if it depended entirely on himself. 

Sa pangarap na maging mapayapa ang ating bansa! Ang pangarap ‘nyo ay pangarap ko!  Sa pangarap na maging maunlad ang ating bansa! Ang pangarap ‘nyo ay pangarap ko!  At sa pangarap na maging mas masinang ang kinabukasan natin at ng ating mga anak, ang pangarap ‘nyo ay pangarap ko! 

We are presently drawing up a comprehensive, all-inclusive plan for economic transformation. We will build back better by doing things in the light of the experiences that we have had; both good and bad. It doesn’t matter. No looking back in anger or nostalgia. 

In the road ahead, the immediate months will be rough; but I will walk that road with you. 

The pandemic ravaged bigger economies and ours. The virus is not the only thing to blame. What had been well built was torn down. We will build it back better.

The role of agriculture cries for the urgent attention that its neglect and misdirection now demands. Food self-sufficiency has been the key promise of every administration. None but one delivered. There were inherent defects in the old ways and in recent ways, too. 

The trade policy of competitive advantage made the case: that when it comes to food sufficiency, a country should not produce but import what other countries make more of and sell cheapest. Then came Ukraine. The most vulnerable when it comes to food are the countries farthest away from the conflict; those bearing no blame for provoking it. Yet they face the biggest risk of starvation. If financial aid is poured into them – though it never is, there is nothing to buy.

Food is not just a trade commodity. Without it, people weaken and die; societies come apart. It is more than a livelihood; it is an existential imperative and a moral one. An agriculture damaged and diminished by unfair competition will have a harder time, or will have no prospects at all, of recovering.

Food sufficiency must get the preferential treatment the riches, free trade countries always gave their agricultural sectors. Their policy boils down to: don’t do as we do, do what we tell you to. I am giving that policy the most serious thought if it doesn’t change or make more allowances for emergencies with long term effects. 

There is a parallel problem in our energy supply; sufficient fossil fuel-free technology for whole economies has yet to be invented. And it is not seriously tried by rich countries. Again, consider the response of the richest countries to the war in Ukraine. But surely a Free World awash with oil can assure supplies. Or we will find a way. We are not far from oil and gas reserves that have already been developed.

What we teach in our schools, the materials used, must be rethought. I am not talking about history. I’m talking about the basics, the sciences, sharpening theoretical aptitude and imparting vocational skills such as in the German example. Alongside the National Language; with equal emphasis and facility in a global language; which we had and lost. Let us give OFWs all the advantages we can for them to survive and to thrive.  

Our teachers from elementary up are our heroes fighting ignorance with poor paper weapons. We are condemning the future of our race to menial occupations abroad. Then they are exploited by traffickers. Once we had an education system that prepared coming generations for more and better jobs. There is hope for a comeback. Vice President and soon-to-be Secretary of Education, Sara Duterte-Carpio, will fit that mission to a T. 

We won’t be caught unprepared, under-equipped, and understaffed to fight the next pandemic. To start with, we never got over the pandemic of poor if any free public health. The last major upgrade of a public health system, exemplified by the resources poured into PGH, predates the current shambles by three generations.

Our nurses are the best in the world. They acquitted themselves with the highest distinction abroad, having suffered even the highest casualties. With the same exemplary dedication at home they just got by. They are out there because we cannot pay them for the same risk and workload that we have back here. There will be changes starting tomorrow. I am confident because I have an Ople in my Cabinet.  There were shortcomings in the COVID response; we will fix them – out in the open. No more secrets in public health. Remember, I speak from experience, I was among the first to get COVID; it was not a walk in the park.

My father built more and better roads, produced more rice than all administrations before his. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte built more and better than all the administrations succeeding my father’s.  

Much has been built and so well, that the economic dogma of dispersing industry to develop the least likely places has been upturned; development was brought to them. Investors are now setting up industries along the promising routes built. And yet the potential of this country is not exhausted. 

Following these giant steps, we will continue to build. I will complete on schedule the projects that have been started. I am not interested in taking credit; I want to build on success that’s already happening. We will be presenting the public with a comprehensive infrastructure plan. Six years could be just about enough time. No part of our country will be neglected. Progress will be made wherever there are Filipinos, so no investment is wasted. The recovery of Philippine tourism, with its emphasis on accessing nature’s beauty, I am sure, will exceed expectations.

And bigger is not always better; but there is something to be said for economies of scale. And yet the country invites investments in fast rising industries with quick returns – and inflicts irreparable damage for future generations. We have yet to see large-scale practical solutions to pollution. Though some are beginning to emerge. But there are tried and proven new ways of mitigation. Blades have been turning over the sand dunes of Ilocos Norte, harnessing a power all around but unseen, long before this day. I built them. 

The rich world talks a great deal but does a lot less about it than those with much less, but who suffer more death and destruction from climate change and lack of adaptation.

We will look to our partners and friends to help the Philippines, who, despite having a very small carbon footprint, is at the highest risk. First, spare victims; then help them recover; and move on to lessen the harmful impact of climate change. We too have our part to play; we are the third biggest plastics polluter in the world. But we won’t shirk from that responsibility; we will clean up.

You will not be disappointed. So do not be afraid. 

With every difficult decision that I must make, I will keep foremost in my heart and in my mind, the debt of gratitude I owe you for the honor and responsibility that you have conferred on me. 

Whatever is in a person to make changes for the better of others, I lay before you now in my commitment. I will try to spare you; you have your other responsibilities to carry. But I will not spare myself – from shedding the last bead of sweat or giving the last ounce of courage and sacrifice.  

And if you ask me why I am so confident of the future, I will answer you, simply that I have 110 million reasons to start with. Such is my faith in the Filipino.  Believe, have hope: the sun also rises like it did today; and as it will tomorrow. And as surely as that, we will achieve the country all Filipinos deserve. God bless the Philippines, God bless our work. 

Maraming, maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Magandang tanghali po! 

– Rappler.com

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Speech by Minister for Defence Pål Jonson in Manila

Published 18 June 2024

Speech by Minister for Defence Pål Jonson at the Swedish National Day reception organised by the Embassy of Sweden in the Philippines on 6 June 2024 in Manila. Check against delivery.

Ambassador Thunborg,  Secretary Teodoro,  Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great honour to be a part of the Swedish National Day celebration in Manila and address you this evening. 

Last week, I participated in the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where President Marcos Jr gave an excellent keynote address. 

His speech laid out both the challenges that we are facing, and the great possibilities that arise from partnership between likeminded countries around the world.

Countries like the Philippines and Sweden. 

Our two nations have enjoyed diplomatic relations for 77 years. 

Our partnership has always been characterised by close people-to-people relations, flows of trade and investments, and engagement for peace, stability and security. We share both interests and values in a number of areas. 

The Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific regions are more inter-linked than ever before. 

As a trade and innovation-driven economy, Sweden is reliant on the excellence and constant development of our industry, and on good trading relations with partners around the world. 

Therefore, safe sea lines of communication and freedom of navigation are core security interests to us. 

Let me say how pleased I am that the free trade negotiations between the European Union and the Philippines have resumed. 

More than 40 Swedish companies are present in the Philippines today, and they are active in virtually every sector. 

From infrastructural development and green transition to defence, security, aerospace, cyber and space. 

The IKEA store here in Manila is the largest in the world. This is a case in point, as much as it can be, about our close relations. 

Excellencies, 

Ladies and gentlemen,

The international system is more than ever before shaped by great power competition and increased rivalry. 

Russia’s illegal full-scale war against Ukraine is not only devastating for Ukraine and its population, but also a threat to European and global security at large. 

Continued and consistent support to Ukraine is of utmost importance. And we very much appreciate the Philippines’ principled stance on condemning the Russian aggression. 

On 7 March 2024, Sweden became a member of NATO. Through our membership, we will be safer and NATO stronger. Like the Philippines, we are also deepening our bilateral relations with the United States. 

On 5 December. I signed our Defence Cooperation Agreement with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, just a few months after the Philippines signed the updated Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement. 

At the same time, Sweden is enhancing its engagements in the Indo-Pacific. In this context, a strong partnership with the Philippines is of paramount importance. 

We have a lot in common. 

We are both dedicated to peace, and this is very important to us. 

But we also know that peace comes through strength. And that is why both countries are investing heavily in their armed forces. It is an investment into our continued security and freedom. 

Peace and security have, indeed, for a long time been a priority area in Swedish-Philippine relations. 

For many years, Sweden has actively supported the Bangsamoro Peace Process, and our two countries also cooperate extensively on matters such as promoting and defending the UN Charter, the rules-based international order and respect for international law, including UNCLOS. 

Let me express my deep concern for the repeated dangerous manoeuvres against Philippine vessels that have been taking place in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea. 

These acts put human lives at risk, undermine regional stability and international norms, and threaten security in the region and beyond. 

These are not only threats to your national security, but also to our common global security. 

Sweden stands firmly behind the call of the European Union and others for restraint and full respect for international law − to ensure peaceful resolution of differences and a reduction of tensions in the region. 

The UN Charter, UNCLOS, and the Arbitration Award of 2016, as well as other relevant international rules and regulations relating to the safety of life at sea, should be respected at all times.  

Sweden is just about to launch its Defence Policy for the Indo-Pacific. We are looking to enhance defence dialogues with partners in the region.  

I came from Australia yesterday, where I met with my counterpart Richard Marles. And I will also host the Japanese Minister of Defence Minoru Kihara in Sweden this summer. 

Our armed forces are also engaging with regional partners, whilst being mindful of priorities and partners’ interests. 

Joining regional exercises, adding liaison officers to regional commands, and sending officers on higher education in the region are among the possibilities.

We are also ready to deepen our collaboration in areas such as defence innovation, cyber and space if the Philippines so wishes. 

Sweden can and wants to be a long-term partner to the Philippines in security and defence. 

Our joint Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation is an expression of our engagement. And I am happy that we recently signed an Implementing Arrangement for defence acquisition.  

But most of all I am glad that our cooperation is closer, deeper and more comprehensive than it has ever been before. 

• Press release: Pål Jonson travels to Asia and the Pacific Region

The page is marked with the following categories:

• Pål Jonson
• Ministry of Defence
• Foreign and security policy
• Military defence
• International defence cooperation
• International

Published 20 May 2024 · Press release from Pål Jonson , Ministry of Defence

Published 08 May 2024 · Press release from Pål Jonson , Ministry of Defence