House allies urge Marcos support
‘The last thing we need right now is for crass, divisive politics distracting us from the possible problems that could arise from this brewing crisis…’
Daily Tribune‘The last thing we need right now is for crass, divisive politics distracting us from the possible problems that could arise from this brewing crisis…’
(Photo from Bongbong Marcos / Facebook)
Two members of the supermajority coalition in the House of Representatives called on the public to rally support behind the Marcos administration amid controversies that dogged its first year in power.
Instead of engaging in premature politicking, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel and CamSur Rep. L-Ray Villfuerte were one in saying that public interest must stick at ways that would at least help President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in mitigating the adverse problems the country faces, such as inflation, spiking oil prices and hoarding of agricultural goods.
Pimentel, in his effort to shut down "dissatisfied sectors" whom he claimed have started to resort to "baseless allegations" in a futile attempt to discredit the President and his allies, emphasized the importance of having Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte as leaders — an occurrence unusual for 18 years in the country where a President and VP ran and won under the same coalition.
Recall that the UniTeam tandem of Mr. Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte won by landslide in the May 2022 polls for its campaign promise to unite and embrace peace among Filipinos.
According to Pimentel, the deputy secretary general of the once-ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino — Lakas ng Bayan or PDP Laban, the presence of country leaders who possess solid political connections would stir the government to foster unity, which would enable them to collaboratively pursue their shared goals of economic revitalization and sustained growth.
"All sectors should take advantage of this rare opportunity instead of trying to drive a wedge between President Bongbong Marcos and VP Sara Duterte, who have succeeded in working together in bringing back the nation on the path of robust economic growth," Pimentel said.
In the same vein, Villafuerte, the president of the National Unity Party — one of the prominent political parties in the House, said that critics of the Marcos administration should "back off" and instead collaborate with the government to devise solutions that would contribute to the country's economic renewal.
Villafuerte asserted that the political actions characterized as "crass" and "divisive" perpetrated by certain groups during a period when the nation confronts the imminent challenge of escalating oil prices and their subsequent impact on the economy are a manifestation of politics "at its lowest form."
"Oil prices have begun to spike as a result of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The government needs to be prepared for the possible fallout resulting from this," he said.
"The last thing we need right now is for crass, divisive politics distracting us from the possible problems that could arise from this brewing crisis…Instead of making up stories, let's just work together. We are all affected by this," Villafuerte added.
Marcos and Duterte marked their first year in office back in June.
Last September, the Marcos-Duterte tandem saw their approval ratings plummet amid the escalation of commodity prices, China's encroachment in the West Philippine Sea, and issues over confidential and intelligence funds in the proposed P5.768 trillion budget for 2024.
