Remarks by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Distribution of PCSO Ambulances in Butuan City

Good morning to all of the governors. [Please take your seats.]

Good morning to all our LGU executives – the governors, the mayors – who are here today para ma-turnover ang ating mga Patient Transport Vehicles sa iba’t ibang mga LGU.

At, Gov. Angel, sorry na lang sa schedule dahil ang nagdidikta sa schedule ko ngayon lindol at saka bagyo. [applause] Kaya hindi ko malaman baka may darating na bagyo, baka may kailangan puntahan. Kaya paganun-ganun ‘yung schedule natin. But never mind, at least at some point nabuo na natin ito.

Ito ang aming patuloy na programa na ang instruction ko sa PCSO mula pa – from the very beginning, na kailangan na ‘yung pangalan ninyo, balikan ninyo Philippine “Charity” Sweepstake. Ang Philippine Charity Sweepstake ibig sabihin ‘yung kinikita sa sweepstake ay ginagamit para sa iba’t ibang mga ganitong klaseng programa.

At kaya tinutuloy-tuloy namin and so far, we have been able to – we have been able to provide already 76 percent of the LGUs in the country with at least one Patient Transport Vehicle. [applause]

And the… Sabi ni GM Mel, he promises me that we will be finished with the entire Philippines by the end of this year. [applause]

Today, we are releasing 71 of these Patient Transport Vehicles: 12 for Agusan del Norte together with Butuan; 20 for Surigao [del Norte]; 19 for Surigao del Sur; Dinagat Islands have seven; and eight for Davao de Oro; and four –  Davao Oriental; and one in Misamis Occidental.

And some of the — mayroon tayong mga LGU rito na sa ngayon ay first-timer, ika nga, ngayon lang nagkaroon ng ganitong klaseng vehicle. Kaya mabuti naman at iyon po ang inuna namin ‘yung mga walang-wala – kahit na kailan hindi pa nagkaroon.

Alam naman natin kailangan na kailangan nito eh. At we have chosen the design nitong Patient Transport Vehicle na maging appropriate sa conditions dito sa Pilipinas. Dahil kung minsan pinagbibigyan – mayroong nagdo-donate, ‘yung magagandang ambulansiya na kumpletong-kumpleto pero pagka nasira, hindi na natin maayos. Walang piyesa. Pati ‘yung mga maliliit natin na daan hindi makapasok. All of these problems.

So, sabi namin hanap tayo ng modelo na madaling i-maintain, kayang-kayang i-maintain at may piyesa, at hindi mahirapan ang mga LGU para kung sakali – sa maintenance, regular maintenance lang ay makikita natin ay maging maayos ang patakbo.

But beyond that, we have also made sure that each of the vehicles have already within them the basic necessities, the basic equipment. Mayroon tayong stretcher, oxygen tank, wheelchair, first aid kit, blood pressure monitor, may mga gamot, iba pang kagamitan na kailangan pagka emergency.

So, this is something that we are very, very confident will make a big difference in our healthcare system. Dahil ang dahilan kung bakit binigyan ko ng malaking focus ang healthcare sa Pilipinas ay dahil hindi ko makalimutan ang mga sinasabi ng aking mga ninuno: ayusin mo ang healthcare system dahil kahit gaano ka kayaman, kahit gaano ka kasikat, kapag ikaw ay may sakit at hindi maganda ang pakiramdam mo, hindi mo magagamit, hindi mo mararamdaman ‘yung yaman mo, ‘yung sikat mo, pagka dahil inaalala mo ‘yung kalagayan mo.

And so that is why at the very basic, if you do not have a healthy population, you cannot have a happy population. And that is what we need to do. We have to bring the healthcare down to the people.

And that is why we changed the system na hindi na ang LGU ang magdadala nitong mga sasakyan na ito kundi ang PCSO na that’s why they… [applause] Nakapag – nag-rent kayo ng ano ng RoRo? Kumuha sila ng RoRo para madala itong lahat na ito. Dahil hindi lamang itong 71 ‘yung nakikita natin dito. Mayroon pa sa Kidapawan 100 pa, 158 na ipapamigay sa Kidapawan.

So, isinakay lahat ito para dito. Kaya malapit na tayong dito sa… Well, I think ang naging ang inuna natin – one of the priorities that we did was here down south dahil ito ang hindi – ito ‘yung area na talagang matagal ng hindi maserbisan nang mabuti.

Kaya doon tinitingnan namin saan ‘yung mga kulang na kulang. We saw immediately that here in the region is that – that is one of the areas where hindi naserbisan nang mabuti when it comes to these vehicles.

Kaya we are making sure na malapit na. Ano? Ilan na tayo, Mel? Ilan na tayo sa Mindanao in terms of percentage? [PCSO General Manager Mel Robles: Sir, mga – we are nearing 70 [inaudible] at the national…] [inaudible]

We’re already? [PCSO General Manager Mel Robles: …at the national…]

All right. So, we… The 158 Patient Transport Vehicles will be going to Region XI, XII, at BARMM. These are the other areas na nakita namin na kulang na kulang ang serbisyo na ibinibigay at ang pagpadala nitong mga ganitong klaseng mga vehicles para makatulong naman sa kanila.

Sa dami ng mga sakuna na nangyayari, bagyo, ito lindol pa – si Gov. Johnny and I were discussing the damage that was caused by the last earthquake. We have the unfortunate estimate from Secretary Sonny na because of the last earthquake Davao and its environs, lahat-lahat nasira na schoolroom is about 650 na schoolroom na kailangan natin ayusin ulit.

Ah mabuti nandito ang mga LGU. Mayroon tayong bagong scheme para pabilisin natin ang pagpagawa ng mga schoolroom. Ito walang – ibang programa na naman ito. Dahil pagka dinaan… Ang sistema ngayon is that – I’m sure kayo dumaan kayo sa Congress. Nakikita ninyo that the system now is that may budget ang DepEd para sa classrooms. Pagpatayo ng classroom, pag-rehabilitate ng classroom.

Okay. Ngayon binago natin, sinabi natin ang rehabilitation and repair iiwan na natin sa LGU. So, I think that’s okay. [applause] But ang… Iyong budget ng DepEd hindi – binababa ‘yan sa DPWH. Kaya ‘yung mga clearance, ‘yung mga permitting sa DPWH ginagawa masyadong matagal, napakatagal.

Kaya’t para pabilisin natin, we are changing the system. From now on, lahat ng LGU na may kapasidad, na may kaya ida-download namin ang pondo sa LGU na. [applause] Kayo na ang magpatayo ng inyong eskuwelahan.

At saka nakakasiguro ako kasi – ako malakas ang loob ko sa mga LGU executives dahil hindi sila puwedeng mag-ghost project. [laughter] Sisitahin kayong lahat. Hindi kayo puwedeng gawin substandard at pagka ginawa ninyo ‘yun araw-araw ay minumura kayo ng mga constituents ninyo kung hindi tama ang trabaho ninyo.

Kaya malakas ang loob ko, sabi ko, hindi bakit natin hihintayin, bakit pa natin hinihintay ang LGU? Basta may kaya – mayroon siyempre mga 5^th, 6^th walang gamit, ang 4^th, 5^th, 6^th class municipalities, for example, walang gamit. So, iyon kailangan talaga ng assistance.

Pero karamihan naman ng LGU ay may kaya na gawing by administration. Makakamura pa.

We all know the experience in LGU, [applause] is that ‘pagka by administration, ang local executive ang gumawa, ang LGU ang gumawa, it is cheaper than if you go to national.

And the reason is kasi ‘yung bureaucracy natin, ang gulo-gulo, ang tagal-tagal. Kaya’t ‘yun ang ating bagong scheme. And that is what we are going to do para pabilisin ang pagpatayo ng classroom, ang pag-rehabilitate ng classroom.

At alam naman natin, mayroon naman ‘yang standard design. Hindi naman kailangan imbentuhin ulit o i-design uli ‘yan eh. May standard design ‘yan. May standard costing. Bahala na ang ating mga LGU.

And I am very – I’m hoping that this will accelerate the construction of school buildings dahil malayong-malayo pa tayo doon sa pangangailangan tapos darating pa ‘yung lindol. Ito pa, nasisira pa ‘yung mga – nasisira pa ‘yung mga classroom natin.

And so these are – this is… I guess nangyari kasi ito kasi galing – lumaki ako sa LGU eh. Kaya talagang sina – matagal ko nang sinasabi ‘yan. Sen – Congressman pa ako, Senator pa ako, sinasabi ko na hindi niyo – hindi niyo kinakausap ang mga LGU. Maraming kakayahan ang LGU.

May kailangan tulungan – talagang kailangan tulungan. Pero pagka you consult with the LGUs, eh ang sinasabi pagka kinausap namin ‘yung mga mayor at saka governor, puro reklamo lang ang naririnig namin.

Sabi ko, kasi tinitigil ninyo ‘yung usapan doon. Pagkatapos nilang magreklamo, magsasabi din sila kung ano ‘yung dapat maging solusyon kaya’t makinig kayo nang mabuti.

And that is what we are doing now, and this is – close – a closer coordination between the national government and the LGUs. This is part of that new principle, that new concept that we are adopting, and then the new scheme that we have to accelerate the building of schoolrooms, school buildings in and around the Philippines so that we will achieve at least partway ang naging kulang sa ating mga schoolroom, sa ating mga school building.

At continuing support… Mamaya nga pupuntahan kami, mayroon kaming ibibigay – nagbibigay na kami ng Starlink, nagbibigay na kami ng computer, nagbibigay na kami ng whiteboard. Lahat ito para sa mga eskuwelahan dahil isa pa ‘yun.

I have promised myself that the remainder of my term, we will concentrate – we will concentrate on very many things. But the first and top priority is going to be in education. Because hindi tayo makapag-compete sa ating mga karatig-bansa – hindi na bale sa buong mundo pero kahit na ‘yung ating mga ASEAN, Asian countries, hindi tayo makapag-compete kung hindi maayos ang training ng ating mga kabataan.

Maraming kasama ‘yan pagka education. Pati feeding kasama na rin diyan.

That’s why we – we have gone all the way. Mayroon tayong programa ngayon na The First 1,000 Days of a child’s life well – it’s from conception – the 1,000 days is counted from conception. So, from then on, mayroon tayong support para sa ating mga – para sa mga ating mga parents at saka mga kabataan. So that they get the proper nutrition dahil alam natin that that is the time – the one year old to six years old is when the brain is forming.

Kaya kailangan na kailangan na they have proper nutrition, they have proper training. And pagkadating sa eskuwelahan naman, ‘pag kulang ang pagkain, mayroon tayong feeding program. So, we have to continue – we have to continue to take care of our children para naman they are healthy.

Kasi ang pinaka – ang pinakamalaking dahilan kung bakit hindi makapasok – hindi makapag-aral ‘yung mga bata, may sakit. One of the – masakit ang ngipin. So, nagbibigay tayo ng toothbrush, nagbibigay tayo – kasama na rin ‘yan.

You wouldn’t think it would be part of education but it is. And so that’s what we are trying to do and, once again, we are going to have to depend on our LGU executives.

Nasa sa inyo pa rin dahil kayo ang nandiyan. You are the ones on the ground, and it works both ways. Hindi lamang kung ano ‘yung utos galing sa national government – ay dapat kung mayroon pa kayong kailangan, mayroon pa kayong hinaing, mayroon pa kayong hindi natapos na kailangan pang tingnan ulit, eh sabihan niyo kami para alam namin ‘yung gagawin din namin.

That’s why we have –  we have strengthened the system of the Regional Development Councils. At dahil – dati… Ang talagang concept ng Regional Development Council, ‘di mayroon tayong Provincial Development Council, mayroon tayong Regional Development Council, go – pataas nang pataas ‘yan. Tapos ‘yung  RDCs, all the RDCs, magbibigay ng proposal sa ‘yung tinatawag na NEDA noon, which is now DEPDev.

So, ‘yun ang magiging basehan ng plano para kung ano ‘yung gagawin, ano ‘yung mga priority projects na gagawin ng national government together with the LGUs.

And so we are strengthening that system so that the LGUs have a louder voice, a stronger voice. And that is what in the national government, that is what we need. Because I’m sure all of you, pare-pareho ang ating pag-iisip.

Noong governor pa ako ng Ilocos Norte, basta’t sinasabi ko, kailangan ako ang pinakaeksperto dito sa Ilocos Norte.

Kailangan alam ko lahat ang nangyayari dito. Alam ko lahat ang problema. Walang makakapagsabi sa akin ng hindi ko alam tungkol sa sarili kong probinsiya. That’s still the same.

All the LGUs, the mayors know their towns. They know their municipalities better than anybody. The governors know their provinces better than anybody. And so, you are the experts that’s why we go back to you.

Kaya iyan po ang patuloy nating programa and to bring government down, and we do this with a whole-of-government approach, i.e., lahat-lahat ng departamento basta’t makatulong kung anumang programa ‘yun ay nagsasama, nagko-convergence sila. They have a convergence meeting of who will do what, may tasking, para kumpleto at hindi ‘yung may kaunti dito, may kaunti riyan. Kung may programa kumpleto.

And that’s what – that is the continuing idea that we have adopted now in the national government. And I hope that this will, as I said, give the LGUs a stronger voice and to make programs such as this, the giving of the transport vehicles, programs such as this, successful.

We cannot do this without you. Hindi namin magagawa itong ganitong transport vehicle, hindi namin magagawa ‘yung schoolroom kung hindi sa LGU.

Kaya bibigyan kayo nang mas maraming trabaho, but at the same time, you are now capable of doing more.

And that is what we mean by everybody working together, everybody helping each other, working in the same direction trying to achieve a common plan. At pagka nagawa natin ‘yan eh ‘yun masasabi natin: ito na Bagong Pilipinas.

Maraming salamat. Magandang umaga sa inyo. [applause]

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