It looks like President Bongbong Marcos and his cousin House Speaker Martin Romualdez are on the right track in their journey to alliance building in the runup to the 2025 midterm elections. The launching of their newly-formed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas became the needed trigger for many politicians and leaders all over the nation to come out publicly and support the President.
Today, May 10, the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) headed by chairman Alex Lopez will sign a memorandum of understanding in support of PBBM’s Bagong Pilipinas vision, with several groups such as the League of Provinces of the Philippines and the National Anti-Poverty Commission.
The event will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City at 10 a.m.
This new group will exponentially increase the warm bodies of the Bongbong-Martin combine, and further scale up the number of adherents to their cause, which is none other than the growth of the nation economically and politically.
Meanwhile, Isabela Rep. Faustino Dy 5th held a press conference, during which he noted that political parties in pursuit of sustainable growth and development in the country are encouraged to join the newly-minted alliance led by President Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
“I can imagine that the President’s statements are very clear, that he still wants unity, he still wants everyone to be unified under the current administration because pare-pareho naman po ng layunin ng bawat partido, na itulak ang progreso, ipagpatuloy ang progreso ng ating bansa (every party has the same goal: to pursue sustainable progress in our country). So, I can imagine that the other political parties will still be welcome if they decide to coalesce or align with this new alliance,” Dy said.
Manila Rep. Ernesto Dionisio Jr. said President Marcos’ unity message during Wednesday’s forging of the alliance between Lakas-CMD and Partido Federal ng Pilipinas resonates with coalition members.
“We are very fortunate to have a President who really adheres to the word unity. Talagang niyayakap niya ang lahat (He truly embraces everyone). So, as long as you are joining the vision of our President for progress, there is no reason para hindi ka sumama (for you not to join),” Dionisio said.
To maintain unity in the coalition in the days ahead, Dionisio said they expect the alliance leadership to resolve divisive issues, including those they would confront in the fielding of common candidates in the May 2025 elections and in future electoral exercises.
“I think that the leadership of both parties will resolve any possible local issues or conflict, being ang pagsasama (working together) involves unity. So, I think that's the message and hopefully, everything will turn out best,” Dionisio said.
During the alliance signing, Romualdez said the the Lakas-CMD-PFP alliance is more than just a political union, as it represents a “collective commitment” to the prosperity and welfare of every Filipino and heralds a new era of governance “founded on integrity, transparency, accountability, and inclusivity.”
He pointed out the alliance aligns its initiatives with the strategic direction of President Marcos, striving to implement policies that boost the economy, improve infrastructure, and elevate health and educational systems.
“We are dedicated to sustainable development that addresses both present and future needs, securing a prosperous legacy for the generations that will follow,” Romualdez said.
Water is life
Abundance of water means floods, and its severe lack results in drought. Both are national problems that the Marcos administration is trying to solve.
The President wants the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to integrate its flood control management programs with other sectors for effective water management and conservation, according to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
“You know, ‘I think we have to integrate our flood control management programs with the other sectors so that the water that we manage in the flood control do not go to the sea indirectly and to the extent possible that we have to conserve and utilize it for the other purposes like for irrigation, water supply and power if necessary,’” Bonoan quoted the President as saying.
“So, this is a direct instruction of the President to me that we have to integrate all these components particularly in the major projects, flood control projects of the department we’ve been undertaking,” he added.
Although the DPWH has been implementing some flood control projects with those components, Bonoan said it has to enhance the formulation of other structures needed for irrigation, water supply and power generation because the department’s multi-year budget for flood control program is increasing tremendously.
For 2024 for instance, Bonoan recalled the DPWH’s total budget for both foreign-assisted and locally funded flood control projects was more than P300 billion, which is a good source for an integrated water resource management program for irrigation, water supply and power that the President instructed.
The recent sectoral meeting became an occasion for the President to reiterate the importance of the integrated water resource masterplan and managing water resources amid El Niño and mitigating floods during La Niña. He directed the relevant agencies to further explore foreign funding for identified priority investment areas for both local and international stakeholders.