BUTUAN CITY , Philippines – Senatorial candidate Bongbong Marcos vowed to push for the accelerated economic development of Mindanao through more infrastructure, focus on agriculture, and the establishment of peace throughout the island.
The Ilocos Norte representative met with the local media at the Caraga State University in this city in the course of the campaign sortie of the Nacionalista Party led by its presidential candidate Sen. Manny Villar.
“My father (the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.) initiated the economic development of Mindanao and I’d like to continue the work that he began,” he said.
Notable among the projects was the Pan Philippine Highway that linked Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao starting from Laoag, Ilocos Norte to Zamboanga City.
He said Mindanao needs more school buildings, irrigation systems, power-generating facilities and farm-to-market roads to have a more competitive economy.
He is also batting for a sustained effort to resolve the armed conflict in Mindanao, citing the Tripoli Agreement signed during his father’s leadership as a possible starting point for the peace process.
“We could review it (Tripoli Agreement) to see what part is applicable these days,” he said.
Marcos and the other national candidates of the Nacionalista Party began a series of sorties in Mindanao on Tuesday. They will have stops in Surigao, Agusan, Davao, and Compostela Valley.