President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and former President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: Presidential Communications Office
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Initiatives seeking progress, not threats, would be the solution to the Philippines鈥� problems, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told Negros Oriental residents on Thursday.
In what seems to be his latest swipe against the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos said during the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas (Alliance for New Philippines) rally in Dumaguete that improving the government鈥檚 functions would be key to improving the lives of Filipinos.
鈥淢y fellow Filipinos, our direction is clear: Our direction is to improve the state of the Philippines, and not to oppress people.聽 Progress, not fearmongering, is the solution. What we should do is to make our government run more efficiently,鈥� he said in Filipino.
鈥淎lliance鈥檚 candidates are with us in upholding the interest and welfare of every Filipino. We will fight for our sovereignty and our rights through diplomacy and with our dignity maintained,鈥� he added.
Marcos also doubled down on his belief that the government does not need to kill thousands of individuals just to be successful in the fight against crimes.
鈥淚n the fight against drugs and crimes, we do not need to go through a bloody solution, we do not believe that we need to kill thousands of Filipinos just to solve this problem. There is a proper way to ensure peace in our country,鈥� he said in Filipino.
鈥淭o ensure order, we need to craft good laws, ensure effective implementation, and support our police officers and, most especially, our local officials,鈥� he added.
Marcos has been on the offensive since the campaign for national candidates started last February 11.
During his speech at the Alliance鈥檚 proclamation rally in Laoag, Marcos said the administration-backed candidates are neither tainted by Oplan Tokhang nor are they pro-China. These issues were thrown against Duterte.
Oplan Tokhang was the anti-illegal drugs campaign implemented during the Duterte administration, which has garnered controversy due to human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings.
Duterte was also credited for repairing ties with China, which were strained by the late President Benigno Aquino III鈥檚 decision to sue China for its聽intrusion in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Duterte, however, drew flak for joking about making the Philippines a Chinese province, and for saying that the 2016 arbitral ruling favoring Manila in its WPS dispute with Beijing was just a piece of 鈥減aper鈥� that can be thrown into a waste bin.
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READ: Duterte on PH court win over China: 鈥楾hat鈥檚 just paper; I鈥檒l throw that in the wastebasket鈥�
At the Alliance鈥檚 rally in Pasay City last Tuesday, Marcos initially paused before delivering his speech to check if candidates running under the administration-backed slate are still in one piece.
Marcos joked he was checking if candidates were still healthy and safe from grenade attacks in an apparent reference to Duterte鈥檚 threats to kill 15 sitting senators to make way for Partido Demokratiko Pilipino鈥檚 senatorial bets.
According to Marcos, people attending the Alliance鈥檚 rallies would not hear any threats of violence or any curses from him. He pointed out that what Filipinos would hear are the platforms of their candidates, and what they were able to do while they were in office.
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Duterte鈥檚 critics have called him out for his remarks.
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said murder and terrorism are not joking matters.
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Senate Minority Leader Aquilino 鈥淜oko鈥� Pimentel III聽 鈥� who used to be a key Duterte ally during the 17th Congress 鈥� said that mentioning death and killing at any given chance may be a worrying sign of a serious personality disorder.
Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, chief of the Philippine National Police鈥檚 Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, has filed a complaint of inciting sedition against Duterte over his remarks.
READ: Rodrigo Duterte faces sedition rap for 鈥榢ill senators鈥� quip