Bongbong: I won't indulge in blame game

MANILA, Philippines - Twenty-six years after the EDSA People Power revolt ousted President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, his son and namesake claimed that the current state of the country is still a cause for concern.

Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., however, said he would not indulge in a blame game.

“Most of what we hear now from all sides are still within the ambit of propaganda. But I certainly am concerned with the state of our country today, more than a quarter of a century since the experience of EDSA 1, as it has come to be known. I have chosen not to indulge in the blame game and rather invest my energy in helping move this country forward,” Marcos wrote in his Facebook page “in response to several queries.”

“But if comparisons are to be made, and if there is a need to evaluate the road taken since then and what has resulted from it, it’s not difficult to arrive at answers, provided we ask the right questions. Has poverty been alleviated? Is the wealth of the country more equitably distributed? Do we have more jobs available at home? Has there been a rise in the quality of our education? Are we self sufficient in our daily food requirements? Is there less hunger? Crime? Insurgency? Corruption? Basic services? Health?” he added.

Marcos had earlier said that much was left to be desired in terms of development in the country since his father was forced to leave on Feb. 25, 1986.

“There is really nothing more I can add to what I’ve already said over the last two decades and what happened in the past cannot be changed,” Marcos said.

The senator has often been asked about his thoughts on the EDSA revolt that removed his father from office and what lessons were learned from that event and more often than not, he has declined to talk on the subject.

But as in previous years when he decided to say something about it, Marcos’ thoughts were the same: the country has to do more in order to catch up with its Asian neighbors in terms of development.

Marcos lamented that nations like China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have all gained much ground over the past 26 years and “unfortunately, for the majority of our people, nothing much has changed.”

He cited the Social Weather Stations’ latest survey on unemployment, which recorded a rate of 24 percent or close to 10 million people.

“The country’s economic performance last year sank to a dismal 3.7 percent growth. The problems we face remain daunting and there is still that need for Filipinos to unite and face these challenges as one nation, with a singular aim and direction, with a leadership that is willing to make sacrifices and capable of harnessing the talents of our people,” Marcos said.

“We have seen what our neighbors have been able to achieve in the last 26 years. There is no reason why we cannot at least match their achievements if not do better,” he added.

Marcos said that much of what needs to be done has to come from the top, particularly by setting the right priorities.

“We need to change the politics of this country. Our leaders cannot be forever squabbling, engaging in vindictiveness, wasting energy and government resources in putting each other down at the expense of those that need help the most. Blaming past administrations will not bring food to the plates of the hungry,” he said.

“Excuses cannot substitute for performance and results. Promises without delivery only feed the anger of the people. Before it’s too late, let us all roll up our sleeves and get to work for the betterment of our country. For all and not just for some. If there is need for change in people’s attitudes and habits, let that change begin with ourselves. There is no argument more eloquently made than the one made by example,” he added.

Much of the criticisms and anger towards the Marcos administration were directed at the decision of the former president to declare martial law in the early 1970s, where widespread human rights abuses were recorded.

The senator reluctantly dealt on this issue and said that it was “a time different from now” when rebellions were being waged against established norms in various parts of the world.

“Manila, as well as other Asian capitals, was no exception. University students here took the same road of militancy and were linked to leftist labor unions and communist insurgents and street violence was likewise widespread in urban areas of the country,” he said.

“Even for a young 15-year-old like I was then, the militancy of that epoch was palpable. But as I’ve said previously, and at the risk of disappointing, I will leave to historians, impartial and trained in their field, to pass judgment on the merits of the declaration of martial law seen in that context as it should be,” he added.

Firm leadership for K+12

Meanwhile, former education secretary Mona Dumlao-Valisno said that a firm and strong leadership like that of the late President Marcos is necessary to effectively implement reforms in many sectors, especially in education.

Her statement comes in light of some resistance to the move to add two years of senior high school under the K (kindergarten) to 12 (basic education curriculum (BEC) reform program.

In her new book “The Nation’s Journey to Greatness: Looking Beyond Five Decades of Philippine Education” which was launched last Wednesday at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City, with former President Fidel Ramos as one of the special guests, Valisno said that while having a bad record in human rights among other things, the Marcos administration, especially in its first few years, had been good for education, especially with the “Bagong Lipunan” or New Society social transformation program.

Valisno said that the current administration could learn a thing or two in successful social engineering strategies from the early Marcos years.

She said that the New Society program could be used as a model by the Department of Education (DepEd) in its values formation aspect as it implements the K to 12 BEC program, which seeks to overhaul the basic education system by adding a mandatory kindergarten level, and an additional two years of senior high school.

Before the K to 12 program, pre-school or kindergarten was optional and not required for a child seeking to enter Grade 1 particularly in public schools; and there is only 10 years of BEC with six years of elementary and four years of high school.

“When Marcos assumed the presidency in 1965 and got re-elected in 1969, he directed his social engineers to implement his development education agenda known as the New Society,” Valisno said in her 431-page book.

“It was designed as the vehicle for nation building, directly addressing the political, socio-cultural, and economic problems prevailing in those years. He used education as the core and the center of all his programs, with him serving as the master conductor of an orchestra,” Valisno said.

The book launch was attended by Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chair Patricia Licuanan, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director general Joel Villanueva, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Fund for Assistance to Private Education executive director Carolina Porio, and former education undersecretary and STAR education columnist Isagani Cruz present. - With Rainier Allan Ronda