President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Tuesday his administration would focus on strengthening social protection and improving education in the remaining years of his term, saying these are the foundations of a stable and progressive nation.
In the latest episode of his podcast, Marcos said his priority is not his political legacy but ensuring that Filipinos have access to basic needs and quality education.
“This question of legacy keeps coming up. It’s not something that I think about quite frankly, because legacy is when you die, right? I’m not about to die – at least that’s not my plan,” he said.
“People have to have a good healthcare system. People have to have food to eat. People have to have shelter as much as possible… they must be able to survive. Ganoon na lang (Just that). Let’s just start there.”
He said that once these essentials are met, the government’s focus must shift toward education, which he called “the most important thing you can do” to achieve long-term national progress.
“You cannot have a successful society without a well-educated society. Remember when we were the best English speakers in Asia? We had the highest literacy rate in Asia. Let’s get back there,” the President said.
He added that the government must build a system that equips Filipinos with the training and skills to compete globally.
“There are so many good people here. They just don’t have the means, they don’t have the support, they don’t have the funding. That’s what we need to do,” Marcos said.
“We have to make sure that the generations to come are well-educated, they’re well-able to compete… because kaya naman ng Pilipino ‘yan (Filipinos can do that).”
He cited the success of overseas Filipino workers and professionals as proof that Filipinos excel when given proper education and opportunities.
“Kayang-kaya ng Pilipino ‘yan, (Filipinos can do that), but they have to be trained. There has to be a system that brings them up to the standards so they can be internationally competitive in whatever they do,” he said. (PNA)