Q: Hi sir, magandang araw po! Sir, satisfied po ba kayo dun sa naging discussion po kanina sa traffic solution. Ano po ang inaasahan ng ating publiko ngayon sa ginawang traffic summit?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, ang aming nais gawin kaya kami gumawa nitong— para ipalaman na lahat ng stage, sa lahat ng stakeholders, sa lahat ng ginagawa ng national government at kung ano ang pangangailangan natin sa kagaya ng mga LGU, ‘yung mga operator, ‘yung mga traffic enforcer, pati na yung police sa paghuli ng mga kolorum. All of these things have to come together.
Kaya’t ‘yung ang dahilan nitong forum na ito ay para masabi natin, maipaliwanag natin na ito ‘yung mga plano namin gawin. At ano ‘yung aming pangangailangan sa iba’t-ibang mga stakeholder upang maging maganda ang sitwasyon ng trapiko.
Q: Hi, Mr. President, I’m here. Sir, as we all know ‘yung mga face-to-face classes na-suspend po in many schools kasi po sa extreme heat. We might face the same problem po sa 2025 and 2026 dahil sa projection po ng DepEd, 2026-2027 pa maibabalik sa old school calendar ‘yung mga pasok ng mga bata. So, ang hiling po ng ibang mga sector baka daw po puwedeng pabilisin para hindi na po mahirapan ang mga bata, ibalik na po sa April-May ang bakasyon nila. Ano po ang take niyo dito, sir?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Oo, ang problema niyan— ang naging problema diyan is the climate change dahil nagbago ‘yung season. At kagaya ngayon, hindi naman natin inaasahan na ganito. Usually, by now, napakainit na pero maaga pa mainit na talaga kaya’t kailangan namin mag-adjust.
So, we— constant ‘yan, hindi naman… ‘pag syempre, sa— hangga’t maari gusto nating ibalik sa dati dahil medyo may consensus na talaga na mas maganda ‘yung dating schedule.
Kaya’t hindi naman sinasabi na hindi nating gagawin before next year, or the year after that. Susubukan namin gawin na sa aming palagay mahihirapan pa tayo ngunit hangga’t may paraan ay gagawan natin ng paraan para mapaaga at mapabilis ang pagbalik sa normal na schedule ng mga bata.
Q: Sir, ano po ‘yung inaasahan nating specific commitments or deals from the trilateral summit po ni Washington?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Ah, well, this is essentially an agreement between the United States, Japan, and the Philippines. Our cooperation in terms of maintaining security and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. That is the essence of it.
And, of course it will contain more details in the sense of how, in terms of cooperation, it will be implemented. So, that is what we are going to discuss now when we go to Washington and speak with Prime Minister Kishida and with President Biden.
Q: Sir, sinabi po kahapon sa NHA na aprubado na po ‘yung budget for Cavite-Bataan inter-link bridge. So, kailan po ‘yung possible na matatapos po ito saka ‘yung, ano po ‘yung tulong nito sa economy dahil madadagdagan daw po.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Ng? tulong ng?
Q: Sa economy dahil madadagdagan daw po ‘yung mga trabaho, para once ma ano –
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Oo, napakalakin ng tulong. Well, sa traffic lang, malaking bagay ‘yun dahil hindi na. magiging dead end ‘yung Bataan kasi may tulay na.
So, this is one of the big advantages of that. At very progressive naman ang probinsya ng Bataan. So, we can give it even more impetus at basta’t ang advantage ng kalsada, ng tulay ay ‘yung lugar na hindi masyadong madaling mapuntahan ay bubuksan mo.
That will make it cheaper to transport goods, make it cheaper to transport passengers, it will make it easier for the infrastructure to be build up because syempre may— mayroon na tayong puwedeng gamitin.
So, if the only downside to that is that it takes a long time. It’s a 32-kilometer bridge. A 32-kilometer bridge is the second longest bride in the world, ang ating ginagawa. So, it will take a little bit of time but I do not see any delays. Sa ngayon, anong projection natin sa Bataan-Cavite bridge?
Well, as I said, we are still— we have started already the pre-engineering, pre-planning. So, it will take a little time but we have to start some time.
The other bridge that we are now looking at very closely is the Panay-Guimaras Negros, that is also another long bridge that can— the same thing, bubuksan mo, that’s what happens, is you open it to business, you open it to all of the opportunities in place that did not have that access. That’s the point of it.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Ah, they’re asking when do we— the Bataan-Cavite…
OFFICIAL: Actually, ‘yung Bataan-Cavite bridge is a project of the Department of Public Work and Transport. They are now working closely with the ADB, ginagawa na nila ‘yung detailed engineering design, that’s— ‘yung procurement mag-start na. ‘Yung phase one— Phase 1, this is from Cavite going to Bataan, and then Bataan going to Cavite also. [Ito si Secretary Bonoan]
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Ayan si Secretary …
SECRETARY BONOAN: ‘Yung first semester po nito, we are now inviting ho ‘yung international contractors who has the experience dito sa ganitong klaseng proyekto. And thereby, siguro itong first semester, we will now be bidding out ‘yung dalawang land-base segments sa Bataan at saka dito sa Cavite and then by the second semester ‘yung additional two other segments para this year siguro mga four segments kasi anim na segments po ‘yan eh. So, mahaba ‘yung gitna, yung pinamakaghabang segment nito ‘yung 900 meters na cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed structure. Siguro ay baka mai-bid na rin namin this year.
Q: Sir, your reaction lang po on the supposed gentleman’s agreement between your predecessor and China. Do you believe that this supposed agreement— gentleman’s agreement on the West Philippines Sea, do you believe that the supposed agreement placed our national position at risk in the West Philippines Sea? And if so, should the former president be accountable for that?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, it tells us … we don’t know, it was a secret agreement. We don’t know anything about it. There is no documentation, no record, there is no— we were not briefed when I came into office, walang nagsabi sa amin na mayroong ganoong usapan.
So, I— we’re trying to really— up to now because from the former administration, iba-iba ang sagot eh. Sabi ng isang opisyal na dating government official under the previous administration, there is no such agreement. Sabi naman ng isa, no, there is and we should honor it. Sabi naman ng iba, maganda ‘yan. Sabi naman ng iba hindi maganda ‘yan.
Hindi pa namin alam kung ano ba talaga ‘yung agreement na ‘yan. But kung— ay ang sinasabi sa agreement na ‘yan na kailangan tayong mag-kumpormiso sa ibang bansa para gumalaw sa ating sariling teritoryo, ay mahirap sigurong— mahirap sigurong sundan ‘yang ganiyang klaseng agreement.
I am horrified by the idea that we have compromised in— through a secret agreement, the territory, the sovereignty and sovereign rights of the Philippines. That is something— we still have to clear it up, we are waiting for Ambassador Whang to come back from Beijing na— umalis siya and I asked to see him, baka siguro sa pagbalik na.
At ipaliwanag niya, ano ba, sino bang kausap mo? Sino ba talagang kausap mo? Anong pinagusapan ninyo? Ano’ng pinag-agreehan ninyo? Was this an official thing or was it a personal thing? Ano ba ito? Dahil wala kaming record, kahit saan ka tumungin, walang record.
So, sikretong ginawa lahat ito. Bakit nila ginawa? Kung gagawin man nila, ba’t pa nila ginawang sikreto? Nakakapagtaka nga eh. Kaya it’s not a good situation.
Q: Sir, do you plan to talk to former President Duterte about this?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: I’m talking— we’re talking to his former officials, maybe not the president himself, but always former officials. Tinatanong namin, ano ba ‘yan. Ipaliwanag niyo naman sa amin para alam namin ‘yung ginagawa namin. And we still haven’t gotten a straight answer.
Q: Thank you, sir!
—END—
