Marcos' Davao trip shows 'fair governance,' says Palace official

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto on Wednesday defended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s visit to the Davao Region a day after delivering his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), saying it reflects an approach to governance that is "fair and without favoritism." Marcos visited Davao de Oro on Tuesday to lead the distribution of nearly P133 million worth of agricultural machinery, farm inputs, and fisheries assistance. He also inspected the upgraded facilities of the Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital–Montevista and turned over P113 million in Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF) assistance for 565 barangays across the three Davao provinces. He also traveled to Davao City—the hometown of ally-turned-critic Vice President Sara Duterte—to inspect a government housing project. In a statement, Recto dismissed claims that the President's recent out-of-town engagements were intended to bolster his fifth SONA, describing them as "another opposition fake news." "Walang pinipiling lugar, walang pinapaboran. Kung saan kailangan ang tulong, pinupuntahan niya." (No place is being singled out or favored. Wherever help is needed, he goes.) "The President's engagements are driven by what the people want, and his popularity in the places he visits is never a factor in his scheduling," he added. Recto said Marcos is focused on governing rather than preparing for reelection. "After all, he is not running for reelection. He is running a country," he said. "He does not wake up at dawn and fly an hour in bad weather for content. He's been crisscrossing the archipelago since Day One."