President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. outlined his plans for the country in a radio interview even before the official campaign period for the 2022 polls began, refuting Vice President Sara Duterte’s recent claim that he did not mention any platforms during the election cycle.
Expanding coverage of rural health units, sustaining the past administration’s flagship infrastructure program Build Build Build, and boosting the agriculture sector were some of the key platforms Marcos presented in his interview at radio station DZBB on Feb. 5, 2022.
However, Duterte, who ran with Marcos in the last elections as part of the Uniteam ticket, falsely said in a two-hour press conference held on Oct. 18 the president was unable to explain his vision for the country.
Asked to substantiate her claim that Marcos “does not know” how to be a president, Duterte said at around the 1:04:30 mark:
I don’t ever remember na may platform siya na sinabi, kung anong gagawin niya para sa bansang ito. Hindi niya sinabi ano ang gagawin natin sa food security. Wala siyang sinabi kung ano ang gagawin nating sa inflation na darating (I don’t ever remember that he presented his platform on what he will do to this country. He did not mention his plans on ensuring food security. He did not mention what he will do regarding inflation).
Duterte’s statement came weeks after a House of Representatives committee launched an inquiry into alleged misuse of funds at the Department of Education when she was its secretary. Duterte resigned from the Cabinet last June.
The rift between the Dutertes and the Marcoses grew when her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, called Marcos a drug user during a prayer rally in Davao City on Jan. 28, 2024.
While the vice president said her former running mate did not mention any plans to address food insecurity and rising inflation, Marcos said in the DZBB interview that his administration will ensure the mechanization of the agriculture industry.
Kailangan mas malaki mga makina na ginagamit natin dahil labor cost natin sa agrikultura as compared to Vietnam at Thailand ay doble. Kaya para bababa ang presyo, para competitive tayo, kailangan i-mechanize. Kailangan kumpeto ang post-harvest facilities para ma-process lahat iyan (We need to mechanize the agriculture sector because our labor costs are double those of Vietnam and Thailand. To lower prices and make the industry competitive, we need to mechanize. We must construct post-harvest facilities so processing grains can be easier).
Marcos also vowed to cap rice prices at P20 to P30 a kilo on rice if elected president, according to a Facebook post of his political party Partido Federal ng Pilipinas on April 17, 2022.
Marcos said that post he planned to amend the Rice Tariffication Law to “reduce” the country's dependence on imported rice and advocated for the full implementation of the Free Irrigation Law to aid farmers.
News articles such as those from GMA News, Inquirer, and Manila Times released in the run-up to the election reported Marcos’s plans for the food production sector.
Aside from his plans on food supply and price woes, Marcos enumerated in a now-deleted campaign ad his platforms on the economy and COVID recovery, posted on his YouTube account on April 12, 2022.
Marcos’s plans highlighted in the ad include his “Jabs to Jobs” vaccine rollout program, improvements to digital infrastructure, and the expansion to the transportation network. (CC)