President Marcos urged government officials and workers to reach out to the people and listen to their grievances, so they can address the problems that affect the country.
President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. waves to the crowd as he arrives at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024 for the kick-off rally of the 'Bagong Pilipinas.' (PPA POOL | Noel Pabalate)
In his speech during the “Bagong Pilipinas” kickoff rally on Sunday, Jan. 28, at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, the President said that government is obligated to seek problems rather than wait for complaints to come knocking on their doors.
“Obligasyon natin na mga nasa gobyerno na hanapin ito. Kailangan natin bumaba sa masa upang tingnan ang kanilang kalagayan at alamin ang kanilang hinaing (It is the obligation of those in government to seek these [complaints]. We need to go down to the masses to see their condition and find out their grievances),” he stressed.
“Huwag i-asa ang pagpisil sa kanilang pulso sa mga report lamang (Let us now depend on mere reports to know what ills them).”
The Chief Executive furthered that under the banner of “Bagong Pilipinas,” the good should be recommended, while the bad should be denounced.
“Ngunit ang mga papuri at puna ay hindi dapat hintaying kumatok na lang sa ating mga opisina (But we should not wait for the praises and complaints to knock on our doors),” he said.
“Tapos na ang panahon ng pagkukuyakoy sa loob ng mga tanggapan ng gobyerno (The time of dilly-dallying inside government offices has come to an end),” he added.
Marcos also lamented the time wasted in discussing matters purely by government officials as he advised them to hold consultations with those affected by issues.
The “Bagong Pilipinas” kickoff rally, attended by top government officials, Cabinet members, and government personnel from different agencies, drew a reported 400,000 people.
The rally aims to introduce the Marcos administration’s new brand of leadership and governance that will work toward a better and more progressive Philippines.