President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed hope that succeeding administrations will build on the structural reforms initiated under his leadership and institutionalize them for the public’s benefit.
“My hope and the reason the structural change is important is because kahit wala na ako rito, sana ‘yung mga pagbabagong nasimulan namin o na tumatakbo na, magtuloy-tuloy na para hindi na matanggal,” President Marcos in the latest episode of the PBBM Podcast aired on Thursday.
“Do it (structural change) in such a way that it will continue, it will even get better, especially if we choose our presidents well,” the President said during a conversation with college students, one each from the University of the East (UE), Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), and West Visayas State University (WVSU).
President Marcos emphasized that the current situation “is a different, different world” and present leaders do not do things the same way like what past leaders were doing, for instance in the 1970s or 1980s.
The President admitted spending hours each day brainstorming with his advisers, exploring out-of-the-box ideas to serve the Filipino people better.
“Every day, we spend hours with my advisers thinking, think out of the box. Stop thinking the same old way. It doesn’t work anymore,” President Marcos said.
When asked if there was anything he would have done differently from the decisions made by his father, the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., during his term, the President said he learned many lessons from his father that he still applies today.
“I think the basic thing that I learned from my father is don’t stop. If you believe in something that you are doing for the country, for your people, do not stop,” the President emphasized.
“You will have to sacrifice. Ganyan talaga ang trabaho. You will have to sacrifice. Masasaktan ka. You will have to make sacrifices, but don’t stop. You will fail. You have to stand up again. Don’t stop,” President Marcos added.
While President Marcos sat down with journalists in previous podcast episodes, the latest PBBM Podcast shifted to a more informal exchange that highlighted the voices and concerns of the Filipino youth. | PND
