MANILA, Philippines – Not content with a privilege speech rejecting Malacañang’s proposed Bangsamoro basic law, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr produced a video to dramatize his position.
Ahead of President Benigno Aquino III’s final State of the Nation Address in July, Marcos delivered his own “Ulat sa Bayan” on the Bangsamoro bill. The peace process is a pet project of the President.
The video starts with the senators’ back turned toward the viewers. A timestamp of the video shows it was published a day after Marcos turned his back on the draft Bangsamoro bill. It is set in a well-appointed library.
He faces the viewers as he gives assurances that he is for peace. A musical score serves as a background to his statement delivered in Filipino.
“Tulad ninyo, hangad ko rin ang kapayapaan. Pero may problema ang BBL. Maraming probisyon ay labag sa Konstitusyon. Kinausap ko ang lahat ng stakeholders; iisa ang kanilang hatol: hindi ito magbibigay ng kapayapaan,” Marcos says in the video.
(Like you, I also yearn for peace. But the BBL has problems. There are many provisions that are against the Constitution. I talked to all stakeholders; they have one judgement: it will not lead to peace.)
Marcos’ taped statement comes ahead of his plan to craft an alternative bill to replace the proposed BBL. The draft submitted by the Executive was a product of the peace deal between the government and rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The senator said he plans to file the bill when Congress resumes session in July.
Marcos’ latest production is reminiscent of the grainy video played across television stations more than 4 decades ago when his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr, declared Martial Law on September 21, 1972. The armed conflict in Mindanao began during the Marcos regime.
Leather seats serve as the centerpiece for both videos. Unlike his father, however, Marcos Jr is standing up while addressing the viewers.
The set features pictures of the senator with his wife and his kids, but none of his famous parents, Marcos Sr and former First Lady Imelda Marcos.
Marcos, a first-term senator, has not officially declared his plans for the upcoming elections. His mother, Imelda, has however expressed a desire to return to Malacañang, stating that her son is “qualified” for the presidency. – Rappler.com
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