President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has urged personnel of the Office of the President (OP) to deliver a “responsive and efficient service” to the Filipino people.

The President issued the call during Monday’s flag-raising ceremony in Malacañang, just days before OP marks its 127th anniversary.

In his message, Marcos reminded the OP personnel on the importance of their work to ordinary Filipinos.

“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,” Marcos said.

“And what a great responsibility has been given (to) 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,” he added.

Without OP’s work, Marcos said, the leadership of the entire country will be much weaker, adding that today’s policy directions set by the office will be felt in the years to come.

“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 (because of the volume of work, we have not thought that.. we just keep working. But the truth is, every single project, every single decision, every single policy implementation, is felt by the entire Philippines),” Marcos said.

“Kaya’t kailangan na kailangan na pagbutihin natin ang ating mga trabaho. Kailangan natin ipagbuti at lagi natin maalala ang ating pagmamahal sa bansang Pilipinas at sa ating mga kapwa Pilipino (So, it is necessary that we improve on our jobs. We need to do better and always remember our love for the Philippines and our fellow Filipinos),” he added.

The OP was established on March 22, 1897, Administrative Order No. 322, s. 1997, adopting the stand of the National Historical Institute Board, which 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. (PNA)