(UPDATES) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government will pay the bills of patients in all tertiary public hospitals as a present to them on his birthday on Friday.
Marcos, who turned 67, made the announcement during the launch of Agri-Puhunan at Pantawid Program (APP) in Guimba, Nueva Ecija.
“We also aim to help our countrymen who have medical needs. So today, we will cover all the fees of patients in all public level 3 hospitals in the country,” he said in Filipino.
Marcos said there would also be mini-trade fairs, business counseling, and entrepreneurial training for those who want to become entrepreneurs.
Marcos said he wanted Filipinos to feel the “real” change under his administration.
‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. PRESIDENT’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is greeted on his 67th birthday with a cake during the launch of the ‘Agri-Puhunan at Pantawid’ Program in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, on Sept. 13, 2024. The President oversaw the turnover of essential farm machinery and equipment to beneficiaries from Region 3 (Central Luzon). The Agri-Puhunan at Pantawid Program is a credit facility offering low-interest loans to help farmers access necessary funds for their agricultural needs. PHOTO BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
“Sa dinami-dami nang puwedeng ipagdiwang sa araw na ito, ang pinaka-espesyal ay ang pagkakataon na maglilingkod sa bawat Pilipino at mailapit ang gobyerno sa taumbayan (Of the many things that can be celebrated on this day, the most special is the opportunity to serve every Filipino and bring the government closer to the people),” he said.
The Presidential Communications Office said the Department of Health (DoH) would release P328 million to 22 tertiary hospitals nationwide to cover the patients’ medical expenses.
The President said his birthday wish is to “build an agricultural system so that the agricultural sector will run well so that the lives of every farmer, their family, and every Filipino will be better.”
He said he wants all Filipino farmers to benefit from the projects and programs that are being implemented by government agencies, especially the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Addressing farmers, he said: “You are the ones who provide for our country. Our abundance comes from you. The food security of our country lies in your hands. It is only fitting that we commemorate and recognize your heroism and pay tribute to your unparalleled excellence and diligence.”
The APP aims to assist rice farmers belonging to agricultural cooperatives tilling 1.2 million hectares of land.
In a statement, the DA said an APP beneficiary planting rice on 1 hectare of land will receive an allowance of P58,000.
During the distribution earlier of certificates of condonation with the release of mortgages to agrarian reform beneficiaries in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, Marcos said he wanted to celebrate his birthday with farmers to honor their hard work and sacrifice to achieve food security in the country.
First lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and her sons took to social media to greet the President on his birthday.
“Happy 67th birthday to the sweetest and kindest soul I’ve ever known,” Araneta-Marcos captioned in a Facebook collage of their photos, together with their sons, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, Joseph Simon Marcos and William Vincent Marcos.
“I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished, and through it all, you’ve remained the same tender-hearted, compassionate person who first captured my heart. I love you to the moon and back, and I always will,” she added.
Malacañang will host a Salo-Salo sa Palasyo for the President’s birthday, which will be opened to the public.
In a vlog, Marcos’ sons greeted their “cool dad,” and looked back on their best memories with him.
“I think it’s no secret that I respect him hugely, and I’ve learned so much from him, and I continue to learn so much from him,” said Sandro, the President’s firstborn.
“Pop, happy, happy birthday! We all love you so much, and I hope you know we will always be behind you, 100 percent,” he said.
“If there’s one important lesson that he taught me, I think it’s that when you’re faced with a problem and you get panicky and go into panic mode, he always says to go away and think first because whatever your first decision will be will always probably not be the best one,” Sandro said.
“I’ve followed that to a T, and I know it’s the advice that his dad (the late president Marcos) gave him. I think that’s the most useful thing or piece of advice that he’s given me because it really has worked,” he said.
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