MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday reminded the personnel of the Office of the President (OP) on the importance of their work to ordinary Filipinos as he called for much improved service to the public.
“We are reminded of the fact that the Office of the President is a 127-year old institution. And [it] is important to remember this because we have to, once in a while take a step back, take a breath and remember how important the work that we do,” President Marcos said during the flag-raising ceremony in Malacañang as the OP celebrates its anniversary.
“And what a great responsibility has been given us by our people. And it is a responsibility that we must fulfill, it must be a responsibility that we must do so as to make our people proud of us.”
Without OP’s work, the leadership of the entire country will be much weaker, Marcos said, noting today’s policy directions set by the office will be felt years after.
That is why OP personnel must do their job absolutely right because the people rely on them realizing the importance of their work, he said.
“Sometimes because of the volume of the work, sa dami ng trabaho ay hindi natin naiisip na— basta trabaho lang. Ngunit ang katotohanan diyan, bawat isang proyekto, bawat isang desisyon, bawat isang implementasyon ng polisiya ay nararamdaman ng buong Pilipinas,” Marcos said.
“Kaya’t kailangang na kailangan na ipagbuti natin ang ating mga trabaho. Kailangan natin ipagbuti at lagi natin maalala ang ating pagmamahal sa bansang Pilipinas at sa ating mga kapwang Pilipino.”
The OP was established on March 22, 1897, through Administrative Order No. 322, s. 1997, adopting the stand of the National Historical Institute Board.
This was done based on the position papers submitted by the officials of the Department of History of the University of the Philippines and the Board of National Historical Institute (NHI) after exhaustive deliberations and consultations in 1997.
The board decided that the OP came into being during the Tejeros Convention on March 22, 1897, when General Emilio Aguinaldo was elected president of the Philippine Revolutionary Government. (PND)
