PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. leads the kickoff of a campaign on Jan. 28, 2024 that seeks to become a brand for his administration's governance and leadership: Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines).
What is Bagong Pilipinas?
Bagong Pilipinas is the campaign rally of Marcos' presidency and administration that focuses on an all-inclusive plan for economic and social transformation. The name is derived from a campaign jingle used in Marcos' 2022 presidential campaign. This campaign or brand seeks to live up to the promises made during the campaign.
The Bagong Pilipinas campaign originally started with the issuance of Memorandum Circular 24 on July 3, 2023.
It states: "Bagong Pilipinas is the overarching theme of the administration's brand of governance and leadership, which calls for deep and fundamental transformations in all sectors of society and government, and fosters the state's commitment [toward] the attainment of comprehensive policy reforms and full economic recovery; and Bagong Pilipinas is characterized by a principled, accountable and dependable government, reinforced by unified institutions of society, whose common objective is to realize the goals and aspirations of every Filipino."
The campaign also seeks to emphasize the need for unity and involvement and capitalize on the Philippine bayanihan (community cooperation) culture, which the administration sees as the key fiber and component of its realization.
It goes to say that the success of Bagong Pilipinas will not depend solely on the government, but also the citizenry, whose engagement is needed for this to succeed. This is encapsulated in the design of the Bagong Pilipinas logo.
The logo
Presented during the kickoff ceremony, the Bagong Pilipinas logo features three red stripes that represent the country's post-war agricultural and rural development. The interwoven blue and red stripes represent future goals: a progressive Philippines that leverages technological advancement in pursuing sustainable industrial development. The weave pattern symbolizes the interconnectedness and unity of the Filipino people, who come from diverse backgrounds. The rising sun signifies the dawn of a new Philippines that it is putting behind the forgettable past but still carrying its lessons forward.
The programs
Under the Bagong Pilipinas campaign are two of the national government's programs.
Build Better More, the infrastructure program of the Marcos administration (2022 to 2028), is considered an upgrade of the Build! Build! Build! program of the Duterte administration, which is succeeds. There are over a hundred infrastructure projects, which covers a wide range of sectors such as public transport, power, health, information technology, water resources and agriculture. A considerable number of those projects have been carried over from the previous administrations while the rest are initiated by the Marcos administration.
The following are some of these projects, which are designated as flagship:
In public transportation, there is extension of the lines of Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 and 2; the former seeks to reach up to Cavite to help ease the congestion problem faced by its residents. There is also the rehabilitation of LRT 3 and the construction of new LRT lines 4 and 7.
Line 4 is still in its proposal stage and seeks to connect Metro Manila (Ortigas Center) with Taytay, Rizal. On the other hand, Line 7, currently under construction, will take a northerly route from Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
For railways, there is also the Metro Manila subway that will run between Valenzuela City and Paranaque. There is also the ongoing rehabilitation of the existing Philippine National Railway (PNR) lines, which will be converted into the North-South Commuter Railway that will run from New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac to Calamba, Laguna. There is also the PNR South Long Haul, which will be part of the much-larger Luzon Rail System that will initially run between Calamba, Laguna and Daraga, Albay with extensions and branch lines to be constructed as well.
It does not stop in Luzon as there are also flagship projects for the Visayas and Mindanao. There is a proposal to construct a railway line for Mindanao. Cebu City will be having its Rapid (Bus) Transit System and Davao will be having a similar one as part of its Public Transport Modernization project.
There are numerous proposals to create more roads and expressways to better serve the public. Most are still in the proposal stage while others are undergoing construction at present, especially the ones for the Visayas and Mindanao. To date, two projects have been completed: Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project and North Luzon Expressway Connector.
Build Better More also seeks to add more airports or upgrade existing ones. Clark International Airport currently has a newly completed terminal building while New Manila International Airport in Bulacan and Sangley Point International Airport in Cavite are currently under construction.
Complementing these airports are the seaports. To date, only one has been completed: the Calapan Port Passenger Terminal Building in Mindoro. The others are still in their proposal stages.
For urban development, several farm-to-market roads are currently under construction. These roads will make it easier for farmers to transport their produce to markets. In addition, there are also other infrastructure projects currently being built or upgraded such as the expansion of the fish port at General Santos City, the building of irrigation systems in the countryside, among others.
To help bring the Philippines into the digital age, appropriate infrastructure has also been proposed and some projects are underway, including the Maritime Safety Enhancement Project, the Philippine Identification System and Philippine SIM card registration.
Projects for managing water resources are also being built at present. Among these are Mindanao Irrigation Development Project, repair and restoration of communal and national irrigation systems; and the Jalaur River restoration project in Iloilo.
There are also proposed projects that seek to promote health and alternative sources of energy.
Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH Program)
Launched in 2022, this national housing program has an ambitious goal of reducing the number of informal settlers to none by 2028. The Marcos administration is targeting to build around 1 million housing units annually until 2028.
This starts with identifying and creating an inventory of lands suitable for housing and that will be covered by the program. In December 2023, Pag-IBIG Fund has approved a P12-billion credit line for the National Housing Authority (NHA), the agency that will finance the development of 9,110 housing units nationwide.
The NHA is fully on board with the campaign. It has launched back-to-back implementation of its housing and emergency housing assistance programs for the first quarter of 2024.
Led by its General Manager Joeben Tai, NHA has first launched the financial aid distribution for Super Typhoon "Egay" (international name: "Doksuri") victims in Negros Occidental on February 13 to 16 and to families from the provinces of Antique and Aklan on February 17 under the Emergency Housing Assistance Program. Affected families have received cash aid, helping them rebuild their homes after the typhoon struck their communities.
The NHA West Sector Office has also provided cash assistance to calamity-stricken families in the last week of February.
A total of 266 families from Manila received P20,000 each while 91 beneficiaries from Mandaluyong have been provided P10,000. The expedited cash distribution is being done under the directive of the president.
Moreover, NHA has also taken part in the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair in Siquijor on February 17 to 18, Sultan Kudarat on February 24 to 25, Oriental Mindoro on March 9 to 10, and Butuan City on March 15 to 16.
During the event, NHA has presided over a ceremonial turnover of housing units to five beneficiaries during the fair's Sultan Kudarat leg.
NHA has also joined the Lab for All Caravan of First Lady Maria Louise Araneta-Marcos in San Fernando City, La Union has conducted an information drive to facilitate inquiries on government housing programs and has provided five housing allocation slots to qualified beneficiaries.
In addition to providing homes for Filipinos, the 4PH Program aims to create smart cities nationwide.
Smart cities, oftentimes called cities of the future, are technologically modern urban areas that utilize different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect specific data. Information gathered from that data can be used by the authorities to manage assets, resources and services efficiently as well as improve operations across the city. It is also about the local governments being able to harness technology to better govern their jurisdictions better.
While it can be defined in various ways, it is generally accepted that the concept of smart cities comprises various dimensions. These dimensions, totaling six conceptually distinct characteristics, span the key facets of urban life: economy, mobility, governance, environment, living conditions and people.
In 2018, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) established the Asean Smart Cities Network (ASCN), a platform, where cities from 10 Asean member-states work toward the common goal of smart and sustainable urban development.
For the Philippines, the ASCN has initially identified the pilot cities: Manila, Cebu and Davao. As part of the Build Better More program of the current administration, the Philippines is committed to accomplish smart city projects through the infrastructure projects it is engaged in.
Such projects are the command center upgrade and e-government services in the City of Manila; the Bus Rapid Transit System and Digital Traffic System in Cebu City; and the Converged Command and Control Center and Intelligent Transportation and Traffic Systems with Security in Davao City.
However, these will not be the only locales that will be smart cities. Other cities in the Philippines can also attain this status. Local government units need to set up the essential information and communications technology infrastructure and systems. New Clark City is being billed to become the country's first smart, resilient and green metropolis.
New Clark City not only seeks to decongest Metro Manila, where most opportunities and resources are concentrated, but also to be a catalyst in spreading growth in Central Luzon. Once it fully attains its potential, New Clark City is projected to become the home of about 1 million residents and provide job opportunities to around 600,000 Filipinos.
While there are criticisms toward the Bagong Pilipinas campaign, it is not without its defenders. It chooses to focus on the positive: everything that is good, noble and loveable about the Philippines and Filipinos. At the same time, it rejects the negativity and self-depreciation toward the country, most particularly distrust toward the government.
Bagong Pilipinas seeks to involve all Filipinos. It encourages them to engage in dialogue, conversation and consultation, and get involved in nation-building rather than undermining. It also calls for cultivating a new attitude, one that entails assuming responsibilities, which are expected from both the government and the citizenry.
It also seeks to eschew the mentality of pwede na (good enough), which is perceived as allowing mediocrity. Instead, Filipinos are encouraged to strive for excellence to reach their full potential.
Finally, Bagong Pilipinas encourages and challenges Filipinos to get involved in nation-building rather than letting the government do all the work. Filipinos are being challenged not to be overly dependent on others, but to take the initiative and be more civic-minded because this is how nations rise. This is what Bagong Pilipinas is all about.