Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday blasted “useless and crumbling” flood control projects in a state of the nation address that focused on domestic issues after a months-long feud with his vice president.
Addressing a joint session of congress after days of rain that left at least 31 dead, Marcos repeated his recent warning that the nation faced a climate change-driven “new normal,” while pledging to investigate publicly funded projects that had failed.
“Let’s not pretend, the people know that these projects can breed corruption. Kickbacks ... for the boys,” he said, citing houses that were “swept away” by the floods.
Photo: EPA
“Someone has to pay for the grave damage and corruption,” he said, adding that he would demand a full list of failed flood control projects and make it public.
After months dominated by a feud with his vice president that left many voters disillusioned, Marcos’ speech leaned heavily into bread-and-butter concerns.
“The people feel a sense of defeat and dismay at the government, especially when it concerns basic services,” he said, referencing disappointing midterm election results in May.
Photo: EPA
“The lesson for us is very simple. We need to do better. We need to work faster,” he said.
Marcos spent much of his 70-minute speech unveiling promises for the second half of his six-year term — from 40,000 more classrooms to new power plants and free dialysis treatments — although he offered little by way of detail.
Notably absent was any explicit mention of the rising tensions with China over disputed areas of the South China Sea that figured heavily in last year’s address.
After 12 months marked by violent clashes at sea and increasingly close military ties with the US, Marcos said only that the country faced “new threats” to its sovereignty, while adding “more allies who can help us in our time of need.”
Numerous high-profile allies of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, whose would-be impeachment trial was scrapped by the Supreme Court on Friday, skipped yesterday’s address, including the president’s sister Philippine Senator Imee Marcos.
The feud between Marcos Jr and the Dutertes loomed large over the May midterms that saw the vice president’s camp outperform expectations.
The duo swept to power in 2022 in an alliance that began crumbling almost immediately. Their feud exploded into open warfare this year with her impeachment, and the subsequent arrest and transfer of her father, former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, to face charges at the International Criminal Court over his deadly drug war.
Marcos had publicly stated that he was against the impeachment while consistently maintaining he was powerless to intervene.
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