MR. IVAN MAYRINA: Ito naman hong mga projects natin related to public transportation – ‘yan, halimbawa, ‘yung pagbibigay ng – pagpapaunlad ng ating train systems, mga rails, the EDSA Busway, pagpapa-improve ng operations, ng service, is this a signal of our broader national transport policy na gusto ho natin maging commuter-centric na tayo at hindi na car-centric masyado?

PRESIDENT FERDINAND R. MARCOS JR.: Wala na I think ‘yung tawag mo “car-centric” – we’ve taken it as far as we can. And we’ve seen the examples around the world ‘yung mga lugar na talagang sumobra na ang traffic dahil lahat ng tao walang public transport, walang bus, walang tren, walang subway.

Siyempre lahat kailangan bumili ng sasakyan. Bibili ng motor, bibili ng auto. Kaya nagkaka-traffic nang husto.

So, that’s why we are continuing to make it more efficient. We continue to add assets as we – not just additional lines, which was of course we are doing – pero pati na ‘yung pag-rehabilitate nung tinatawag na Dalian cars na hindi nagamit ng gaano katagal mula noong nabili. It’s 10 years old already, hindi pa nagamit. Ngayon pa lamang nagagamit.

Inayos-ayos, puwede naman pa lang i-modify para magamit dito sa Pilipinas. So, that will be added capacity.

Pati ‘yung mga kalsada ginagawa natin. Ngayon lang tayo. Magkakaroon na tayo ng subway ngayon pa lang. This is the first time that we have a subway here in the Philippines.

These are solutions so that life will be a little easier, so that life will be more convenient, you know going to work.

Ang usually sa planning dapat ang commute should not be more – or going to work at saka pag-uwi dapat hindi – ‘yung one way should not – hindi dapat lumagpas sa isang oras. That’s the goal.

MR. MAYRINA: Noong ni-launch ‘yung eGov Super App sa San Juan, you were encouraging even the seniors – your fellow seniors –

[laughs]

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Yes. Ikaw naman…

MR. MAYRINA: – na madali lang – madali lang ika ninyo –

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Madali lang talaga.

MR. MAYRINA: – it’s easy to navigate. Why the push? Kapansin-pansin po ‘yung push ninyo even

‘yung mga, halimbawa, serbisyo ng PhilHealth, naka-link na siya na dapat naka-register ka sa eGov App. Why the push?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Because that’s the only way to do it. You cannot operate in 2025 na kinakamay-kamay mo ang forms, pupunta-punta ka sa opisina.

It takes three days, tatlong araw, kasi akala mo tapos na ‘yung dokumento mo, sasabihin, “Ay, hindi, may kulang pa ito. Pumunta ka doon.” Tapos lalapit na ‘yung fixer sa iyo.

Ay nako, the whole experience, the whole bad experience. So, that cannot – that doesn’t work anymore.

And if we are to compete as a country, as an economy, kailangan natin makipagsabayan. Look at China, how digitalized China is. We have to be at that level. Look at Singapore, look at Korea.

MR. MAYRINA: Yes.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Ito ‘yung mga karatig-bansa natin eh. These are the people we do business with. So, to be able to do business with them properly, we need to digitalize.

But digitalization is not only for business, for education. It’s absolutely imperative now that children know how to use a computer, they know how to use the internet, and they know how to do work on the internet. Hindi na puwedeng hindi. It’s not an option anymore.

MR. MAYRINA: And are you satisfied with eGov, the app?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Yes.

MR. MAYRINA: Do you actually use it for actual transactions?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Sure.

MR. MAYRINA: Kasi ho, halimbawa, may mga dati ho ano – may hotline tayo, tawag kayo, pero walang sumasagot.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: ‘Yun mga ganoon.

MR. MAYRINA: ‘Di ho ba? Ito hong eGov, can you – puwede niyo ho bang itaya ‘yung pangalan ninyo: gamitin ninyo, it works?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Oo, because unang-una sinasabi walang sumasagot doon sa telepono? Wala ng tao talaga. Wala ng tao. You don’t talk to a person.

You just do the entire – lahat ng gagawin mo, gagawin mo digitally.

I made sure while it – noong sinusulat pa ‘yung code diyan, ang test ko lagi, ang sinasabi ko, kailangan isimple ninyo, isimple ninyo. Kailangan napakadali.

So, tumingin kami, we did a little study, there are 89 million Filipino Facebook users. So, sabi ko dapat ‘yung app natin, ‘yung eGov app natin, kung kaya mo mag-Facebook, kaya mo mag-eGov app.

So, hindi na kailangan masyadong turuan. What is now… Ang kailangan lang nating gawin ngayon ay ipaalam sa tao na may ganito.

Huwag na kayong pupunta sa opisina. ‘Yung mga nakakatanda, ‘yung mga hindi masyadong sanay sa computer, eh get – kahit na grade school, alam na nilang gawin ‘yan eh. So –

MR. MAYRINA: Ang naiisip ko, halimbawa, this – this farmer from –

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Yes.

MR. MAYRINA: – from Tarlac, for example, or Pangasinan na walang access siguro sa internet o walang access sa mga smartphones. Papaano kaya sila?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Matututo sila because tuturuan sila. We will have to educate our people.

But again, 89 million, that’s a good majority already of Filipinos who can… Halimbawa, may magsasaka, hindi talaga – walang pagka-techie, ‘yung anak niya kaya niyang turuan – kaya siyang turuan. But they have to know that it is available.

MR. MAYRINA: Oo. So, far, napag-uusapan ho natin ‘yung mga nabanggit ninyo sa SONA. Punta ako doon sa hindi niyo nabanggit.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Oo.

MR. MAYRINA: May mga lawmakers po and advocacy groups who have been urging stricter regulation or even a total ban on online gambling platforms.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Yes.

MR. MAYRINA: Nandiyan ho ‘yung issue ng addiction, financial ruin among the vulnerable sector. Why was the issue of online gambling not included in your SONA?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Because we had not – we still have to form the policy on what we are going to do about online gambling.

And to this end, I have already started to organize a – shall we – to convene a conference of those who are – all the stakeholders.

We are talking about – ang maraming – marami tayong naririnig from the CBCP. So, sama natin sila, mga pari, mga obispo. The parents, of course, are stakeholders here kasi ang victimized demographic ay ang mga kabataan.

O tapos – well, we have to talk to the people who will – if – kung magre-regulate tayo, who will be doing the regulation?

The first effect of banning it fully is to pull it – put it underground, and then we have no control. ‘Yan talagang wala na tayong regulation.

MR. MAYRINA: It was the same argument in banning POGOs.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Yes.

MR. MAYRINA: Ganoon din po ‘yung mga pinapalutang na argument noon. What makes this different?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Because this is – this is not a criminal enterprise. The POGO – POGO itself was not – walang problema.

MR. MAYRINA: Yes. Yeah, yeah, may mga lisensyado, yes.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Hindi – at saka ‘yung kung mayroon online gaming ano, eh ‘di sige, mag-online gaming. Wala namang perang pumapasok dito sa Pilipinas, nandiyan sa labas lahat.

Okay, so, no problem. Eh sinabayan ba naman ng human trafficking, ng credit card scam, na kung ano-ano na ang nangyayari, ‘di ba?

MR. MAYRINA: Prostitution.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: ‘Yun ang naging problema. ‘Yun ang naging problema, the illegal part of it, which… I’m glad you asked that question because it brings us to the same – the same situation with online gambling in general.

Because we have in – with online gambling in general, what is the problem we are trying to solve?

We’re trying to solve is that na hindi – ‘yun na nga, hindi malubog sa utang ang mga – ‘yung mga hindi naman – wala namang kaya pero napapasubo dahil sa sugal.

Mga bata na natututong magsugal. Let’s focus on that. Paano natin patitigilin ‘yan?

These are the things that we are going to examine and we will come up with a plan to make sure that we address the problem.

The problem is not online gambling. The problem[s] are the social effects on our children and those who are addicted to gambling.

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