Today, exactly one year, three months and 16 days after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte assumed office on 30 June 2022 as President and Vice President, respectively, of the Republic of the Philippines, comes this resounding call from those who gave them their 31-million strong mandate, the biggest in this country's political history, to stay focused on their tasks and fulfill their promises to them.
It is not too distant to recall that on the day of his inauguration as the 17th President of this country, Marcos said: "When my call for unity started to resonate with you, I did it because it echoed your yearning, mirrored your sentiments, expressed your hopes for your family, for the country and a better future. 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 which were calling for unity, unity and unity."
President Marcos empowered Vice President and Secretary of Education Sara Duterte-Carpio to develop an educational system that would prepare the coming generations for more and better jobs.
"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 the German example. Alongside the national language, with equal emphasis and facility in a global language, which we had and lost."
Following the presidential mandate, on 30 January 2023, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte presented the Basic Education Report 2023 which will implement ways to improve the quality of education, respond to the challenges, and solve the problems faced by Filipino students.
Sara is batting for early military training to instill discipline in our 30 million youth and ensure a massive workforce for national development.
Bongbong's landslide win pointed not only to the success of his social media campaign but also to the Filipinos' disappointment with the political establishment and democratic rule over the last three decades.
"The faith that they had in liberal democracy has dried up…and they developed a taste for illiberal rule throughout the Duterte administration."
The Marcos family's revival, analysts said, is partly driven by public frustration over the lingering poverty and inequality, as well as the lack of political reforms under the administration that followed after the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
The massive social media drive that painted the Marcos era as one of prosperity and prestige appealed to voters who were not yet born during the Marcos years.
A 20-year-old male resident of Manila, who claimed to be a follower of Marcos's social media, said he voted for him. "His father did many infrastructure projects, I expect him to do the same. Like father, like son."
Sara Duterte topped opinion polls for president the year before the election but eventually decided to make way for Marcos.
Duterte also won the separate opinion polls for the vice presidential race by a huge margin. The president and vice president are elected separately in the Philippines, but this was the first time since 2004 that candidates from the same ticket were elected to the two top positions.
Marcos presented himself as the candidate who would continue Duterte's key policies. These include the war on drugs, albeit focusing on the big fish instead of the petty peddlers, and the "Build, Build, Build" infrastructure projects. Marcos was expected to maintain Duterte's pro-China stance while recognizing the alliance with the United States.
Marcos' candidacy undoubtedly received a major boost from its alliance with Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, the daughter of outgoing but still popular President Rodrigo Duterte.
(To be continued)