The Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair to be conducted in Mindanao this week is part of the fulfillment of the election campaign promise of unity of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., a Mindanao lawmaker said Monday.

In a press briefing at the House of Representatives, Assistant Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong debunked claims that the Marcos administration is not taking care of Mindanao.

“To give you a shorter answer, hindi po totoo yon. Dahil alam po natin ang Presidente, nung umpisa po siyang nangampanya nung 2022, ang kanya pong slogan talaga ay Unity, (that is not true. We all know that when the President started his campaign in 2022, his slogan is unity)” Adiong said.

He said the Bagong Filipinas Fair has already been conducted in Bukidnon, Sultan Kudarat, Davao de Oro, and Agusan del Norte, and will be rolled out in Zamboanga and Tawi-Tawi on May 9.

“So nakita po natin (we saw) how the President actualizes the promise (of unity) that he mentioned during the campaign and how he will keep that promise up until the end of his term,” he said.

“From the northern part of Luzon to the southern tip of the Philippines, nakita po natin napuntahan niya ang Luzon at pupuntahan niya po, ang (we have seen that he has visited Luzon, he went to) Tawi-Tawi, that’s the farthest island in the Philippines closer to our neighbor in Borneo,” he said.

Adiong also noted that the Marcos administration would build “one of the longest bridges of the country” that would be connecting Lanao del Norte and Ozamis City “to make it easier for the commuters and for transportation of goods, for the inland trading exchanges of goods in between and among provinces in Mindanao.”

He also pointed out that President Marcos is also respecting the peace and electoral processes in Mindanao.

“He will make sure that in 2025, we will respect the right of the people to elect their choice of leaders. In 2025 come BARMM elections that will be the first election…So, I don’t think it’s fair to say that the President is actually neglecting Mindanao,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David Suarez said he has personally seen the delivery of Bagong Pilipinas services in several Mindanao provinces and could not understand why there are claims that President Marcos is neglecting Mindanao.

“Hindi bababa sa isang bilyong piso worth of various programs and projects iyong nai-implement ng mga (Various programs and projects worth a minimum of PHP 1 billion were implemented by) national government agencies and national government departments. So, all these programs are being flooded to specific provinces and regions, in all areas of our country,” he said. (PNA)