Steer clear of gimmickry in choosing and implementing projects for your municipalities, President Marcos told municipal leaders in the country.

Speaking at the 2024 general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, Marcos expressed his two cents on public service, urging leaders to prioritize long-term grand projects rather than "ribbon-cutting ready" programs only intended for public gimmickry.

"In that way serve the greater good, instead of meekly settling for short gestation periods that are only high in optics and in gimmickry," Marcos said in his speech during the event held in Pasay City on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

"It is about going for ambitious projects that span several terms, without regard for who will inaugurate them when completed, instead of picking ones that are ribbon-cutting ready before elections and the campaign," he added.

The President stressed that leaders must have the courage to carry out projects with long-building timelines, not minding if they would be able to inaugurate it during their term or beyond.

"There is a saying— a very clear saying, if— there is much that can be achieved if people are not fighting for the credit," he stated.

Marcos also  emphasized that their "mandates should not be wasted on petty things. It should be used for grand things."

With this, he encouraged them to join the national government in its mission for transformation, which would require structural changes.

The national government, for its part, Marcos said, would continue to listen to the local government executives' recommendations as they best know the situation on the ground.

The Chief Executive also urged the local officials to continue working with the government to make Bagong Pilipinas a reality, underscoring the importance of unified action in achieving the Philippines’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Municipalities are not mere implementors of national progress because you too can initiate your own programs. Municipalities should not be treated as passive receivers of projects from the National Government. You must actively incubate your own initiatives, your own projects,” Marcos said.

“Programs developed by municipalities from below, by leaders who know the conditions on the ground, are better than those policies that are dictated from above, from the ivory towers, from the height of the halls of power because you understand the situation in your area better than anybody else. And that is why, I believe that many policies must rise bottom up, not all must flow top down,” he added.

The national government will spend P2.09 trillion on social services this 2024, while a total of P457.41 billion will be spent for climate change expenditures, including P373.45 billion for water security; P18.19 billion for sustainable energy; P6.48 billion for environmental and ecological stability.