PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte once again appeared together at the grand launching of Pier 88 in Liloan, Cebu over the weekend. Before his speech, President Marcos had a message for the vice president. Concurrent with the event, President Marcos also promised to push for the National Land Use Policy.
President Marcos dubbed himself as the official BFF or best friend forever of Vice President Sara Duterte despite the chaos happening.
President Marcos expressed to VP Sara that he will remain his number one fan.
At the same time, the president recalled their happy experiences together during the height of their campaign.
“Thank you very much to our good Vice President for her intro… [Please take your seats.] For her very kind introduction. Parang nabalik ako doon sa kampanya, nandoon kaming dalawa ni Inday Sara nagbubungisngisan ulit. And the reason I made her laughed is that I told her, dito sa mga gulong nangyayari, I have just officially designated myself as your self-appointed official BFF. So kahit… Sorry na lang. Sa ayaw mo at sa gusto mo, I’m still your number one fan. [laughter and applause]
“It’s like I went back to the campaign, the two of us, me and Inday Sara laughing it off again. In all this chaos that’s happening. So even though… sorry, whether you like it or not, I have just officially designated myself as your self-appointed official BFF,” said President Marcos.
President Marcos said this at the beginning of his speech at the grand launching of Pier 88 in Liloan, Cebu over the weekend, where VP Sara was the one to introduce him.
It can be noted that Sara Duterte resigned as a member of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party amid ongoing political tensions or disagreements.
PBBM promises to push for National Land Use Policy
Meanwhile, in President Marcos’ speech at the event in Cebu City, he reiterated the urgency of strengthening the land use policy for the Philippines.
This comes a few days after the House of Representatives approved the third and final reading of the proposed National Land Use Act (NLUA) on May 22nd.
The President made this statement during the Pier 88 Grand Launching in Liloan, Cebu over the weekend.
“But now, allow me to reiterate the urgency of enacting a [National] Land Use Policy for our country, which is a priority legislative agenda of this Administration,” added President Marcos.
President Marcos emphasized that he has personal knowledge of the significant impact of the proposed law on the Filipino people because he had the opportunity to work on it when he led the Senate Urban Planning, Housing, and Resettlement Committee.
“I have had the opportunity to work on this matter when I chaired the Senate Urban Planning, Housing, and Resettlement Committee some years ago. It never materialized for reasons beyond our control. The pandemic is also included in that circumstance,” he said.
During this opportunity, President Marcos ensured that the proposed bill will receive immediate attention due to its fundamental importance in the holistic national development of the country.
President Marcos also stressed the need for local governments to ensure that their physical and land use plans are aligned and consistent with the national plan
Moreover, national and local governments will tap the budding profession of environmental planners for its technical expertise in the crafting of accurate and well-aligned physical and land use plans.
On Monday, May 22nd, the House of Representatives approved on the third and final reading of House Bill No. 8162, or the proposed National Land Use Act, which provides the government with tools to properly determine land use and allocation patterns in all parts of the Philippines.
The said bill was previously identified as a priority measure by President Marcos under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
The executive branch expressed gratitude to the House of Representatives for approving the proposed bill.
“I thank the House of Representatives for its timely and significant action in having approved their version of the bill on third reading just a few days ago. It is terribly important. I have been following this from the time that I was governor to the time that I was congressman until the time I was senator, and I continue to do so now as President,” the President added.
Meanwhile, several bills on the proposed land use policy have also been filed in the Senate.
