Happy Valentine’s, beloved Philippines, the home of lovers and the free.

After the quick response of then-Senator Ralph G. Recto to buy 10 copies of my book, his dignified help with intent to inspire me to defeat death, Senators Koko Pimentel, “TG” Guingona, Alan Peter Cayetano, Nancy Binay, Bongbong Marcos, Cynthia Villar, Juan Ponce Enrile, and Jinggoy Estrada, Congressman Ronaldo Zamora, lawyer Arturo Tiu, Tito Guingona, Mayor-President Erap, Bishop Gabriel Reyes, and several “special friends” neutralized the absence of a regular pension.

A consultancy service to local and national executives, CoA, Daily Tribune and Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion, Jesus and Mama Mary, make Art Besana and his family happy every day. 

President Bongbong Marcos and Senator Imee Marcos are exhibiting the sterling qualities that their late father Ferdinand Sr. possessed and left them. Both deserve the love and adulation of the Filipino people. Imee has remained steadfast and protective of her brother. Bongbong is strong and we firmly believe will continue to be strong like his father.

The wranglings notwithstanding, he remains focused on putting to use the over a trillion pesos in investment pledges he received during his state visits to foreign lands.

About $14.2 billion of the pledges has materialized covering 46 projects, or 20 percent of the total pledges.

Around 148 projects worth $72.2 billion are in various stages of investment as of last December.

Industries receiving the investments include infrastructure, agriculture, retail, information technology and business process management, renewable energy, manufacturing, and transport and logistics.

Investment pledges by foreign firms during the presidential visits over the past 16 months are now being actualized substantively and tangibly, boosting the position of the Philippines as a premier investment destination for foreign businesses in Asia.

The US and Japan are the major investment sources based on the number of completed projects. The US has 13 and Japan 21 completed projects.

For the other 102 projects worth $58 billion, foreign investors are still planning and working on them in their own countries.

The UniTeam with its principals, Bongbong and Sara, has remained firm and united for the love of country and people. Bongbong loves Mindanao. He expressed that deeply in his lamentations.

During his last visit to Davao, he said he had made friendships that will last a lifetime.

Mindanao is in Malacañang’s consciousness even after former President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to have it secede from the rest of the country.

Political experts attributed the statements of President Marcos’ predecessor to his practice of using hyperbole to drive home a point.

Marcos directed all government agencies to prioritize the construction of climate-resilient infrastructure following the recent flooding in Mindanao.

In his speech after the signing of the civil works contracts for the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project in Davao City last week, Marcos highlighted the importance of adapting to the changing weather patterns caused by climate change, noting that relying on outdated data was no longer sufficient.

Marcos instructed the Department of Transportation and the Department of Finance to collaborate on exploring financing options for the long-stalled 103-kilometer Tagum-Davao-Digos railway project, originally planned to be funded by loans from China.

The President emphasized the importance of completing infrastructure projects within the designated timeframe, adhering to specifications and staying within budget.

“Thus far, this ambitious project has been stalled by a lack of funding,” the President said, “so let us go and hunt for the right funding engine that will pull this project to the finish line.”

Additionally, he stressed the necessity for these projects to proactively consider various circumstances, especially those influenced by climate change.              (To be continued)