It's history coming full circle.
Despite having a busy first week in office, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. continued his vlog series on YouTube and shared what it was like returning to the Palace he called home for 20 years.
In his vlog uploaded to YouTube on Saturday evening, Marcos said it felt funny and normal returning to Malacañang, 36 years after the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was ousted by the People Power Revolution.
But he soon realized that things would be different from what he experienced when living in the Palace as a Presidential Son.
"Parang nakakatawa nga yung pagbalik ko sa Palasyo, parang pangkaraniwan dahil ang tagal-tagal 'kong tumira doon (It felt funny returning to Malacañang. It felt normal because I lived there for a long time)," he said.
Marcos was seven years old when his father was elected President in 1965. He was 28 years old when his family left the Palace in 1986.
"Ngunit, pagkaisip ko nang mabuti, hindi pangkaraniwan talaga ito dahil pagkabalik sa Palasyo, ako'y naging Presidente na. Kahit pareho lang yung aking ginagawa, iba ang pakiramdam (But when I think about it, it's not normal since I returned as the President. Even though I'm doing the same thing, it feels different)," he added.
In his vlog, President Marcos said he toured his family around the Palace, telling them their stories from over 40 years ago.
"Kapag may kaunting free time ka lalo na kung kasama mo yung pamilya mo, Iniikot ko sila doon sa saan mang sulok ng Malacañang (Whenever I am free and with my family, I take them to the different corners of Malacañang)," he said.
"Hindi ko pa nga napuntahan lahat, eh. Pero one of these days, pag may oras, dadalhin ko silang lahat. Ikwekwento ko, bawat sulok ng Palasyo may kwento sa amin, eh (I haven't gone through the entire Palace yet but one of these days, when I have the time, I will tour them because every corner of the Palace has a story for us)," he added.
In particular, he recalled how world-renowned pianist Cecille Licad "auditioned" for American pianist Van Cliburn after the former First Lady Imelda Marcos called him and had him listen to Licad play the piano in Malacañang.
Licad, according to Marcos, is a close family friend. She returned to the Philippines in time for the Marcos matriarch's 93rd birthday party in Malacañang, where she played the piano.
According to the President, the Filipino talent and abilities are what make him confident that his administration can help the people overcome the different challenges the country is facing.
"Ang galing ng Filipino. Napakahusay. Napaka-ma-abilidad. At yung galing na yun ay yaman na dapat nating inaalagaan dahil malayo ang mararating, 'di lang nila, kundi nating lahat (Filipinos are very skillful. We have abilities that we should treasure and foster because it will take us far)," Marcos said.
"Sa pagsimula namin ng linggong ito, habang linalatag ang mga plano at minamarkahan ang ating mga dapat marating sa mga susunod na buwan, wala akong kaduda-duda na magagawa lahat ito (As we started the week, as we set our plans and targets for the next months, there's o doubt that we can do it)," he added.
President Marcos started the week by attending the flag ceremony with other Palace workers, encouraging them to continue doing their work right. He also led his first Cabinet meeting on July 6.
"Maraming natalakay, lalo na yung tungkol sa pagtugon natin sa pagtaas ng presyo ng langis, pagbabalik ng face-to-face classes, pagpapalakas ng ating food security, at siyempre, ang pagpapalawig pa ng ating vaccine campaign (We discussed aplenty, especially on how to address the rising oil prices, the resumption of face-to-face classes, strengthening food security, and expanding our vaccine campaign)," he said.
"Napakahalaga ng booster shot lalo na ngayong tumataas na naman ang mga kaso, at ibabalik na natin yung mge estudyante sa face-to-face (Booster shots are important especially now that the number of Covid-19 cases is rising again and we are planning to reimplement in-person classes)," he added.
There was no mention, however, of his recent bout with Covid-19.