Bongbong Marcos

“ This year, the World Bank projects a 6 percent overall growth rate, well within the range of our target for the year. It is anchored on strong local demand, underpinned by consumer spending, and draws strength from the BPO industry, and of course, the steady flow of remittances, and the continuing jobs recovery.
Inflation rate is moving in the right direction. From 8.7 percent in January, our inflation has continued to ease up in all regions, settling now at 5.4 percent for June. What this means is that in spite of all the difficulties, we are transforming the economy. ”

“ In their stead, we will install individuals with unquestionable integrity, who will be effective and trustworthy in handling the task of eliminating this dreaded and corrosive social curse. We cannot tolerate corruption or incompetence in government. ”

“ Nariyan din ang Integrated Livelihood Program-Kabuhayan upang matulungan ang mga maliliit na negosyo.
We are inclusive in our pursuit of social protection. The pension of the military and the uniformed personnel is as important, as urgent, and as humanitarian as that of all other civilian Filipino employees. Efforts are underway to make it fully functional and financially sustainable. We are once again working closely with Congress to ease the transition from the old system to the new one, so as to be able to guarantee that no effects are felt by those in the uniformed services. ”

“ Only a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach will enable us to do all of these. It is necessary to apply all the resources that are at hand if we are to progress as quickly as we need to. Collaboration is the key: between and among government offices; between government and the private sector; between industries and the academe; between government and international partners. ”

“ We preserve and protect the treasure that is our forests. Their value to the environment, to the ecology, and the economy is incalculable.
We have adopted the concept of the “circular economy”, using nature as our model. The aim is to keep raw materials in a closed loop. In our world with scarce resources, the circular economy allows us to fully use these resources, minimize waste and reduce the need for new resources—just as it is in nature. ”

“ We will generate additional jobs for the remaining 4.3 percent of our workforce, as well as for the 11.7 percent underemployed Filipinos seeking better employment opportunities.
Under the banner of our fast-growing economy, we are aggressive in our investment and business promotions and facilitations. For that, we have not limited ourselves to the local economy, but we have looked to the global economy for partnerships and agreements. ”

“ We can never lose sight of our responsibility to the future. The economic agenda cannot and will not ever be incompatible with our climate change agenda.
Climate change is now an important criterion in our integral national policies, in planning, decision-making, up to the implementation of programs. The potential advantages of such enlightened policies extend to jobs and livelihood, with the unlocking of the development of the green and blue economies. ”

“ The flagship projects cover investments in the areas of physical connectivity, water resources, agriculture, health, digital connectivity, and energy. Physical connectivity infrastructure—such as roads, bridges, seaports, airports, and mass transport—accounts for 83 percent of this program. Our infrastructure spending will stay at 5 to 6 percent of our GDP. [applause]
The underlying logic to our infrastructure development is economic efficiency. We are opening up all gateways to mobilize goods and services at less cost and in less time, and ultimately, to drive the economy forward. ”

“ The bane of the mismatch between jobs and skills among our workforce is being rectified through strengthened government-industry-labor-academe partnerships, and the continuous reskilling and upskilling training programs that we have put before our workforce.
For our seafarers to continue to excel, maritime education in the Philippines has been strengthened. This will progress and solidify our country’s position as a “global maritime hub”, through the steady supply of competent Filipino seafarers to foreign merchant marine vessels. ”

“ As we address our weaknesses and develop competitiveness in other potential areas, we also must play to our strengths. Our competitive advantage must be leveraged. As a “service export powerhouse”, we must continue to nurture the growth of the services sector, particularly the Information Technology-Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector and of course the tourism industry. ”

“ To create these investment opportunities, we must ensure that an enabling business environment is in place; that there is peace and order, and that the rule of law governs. We will solidify our country’s reputation as an attractive and reliable investment destination.
Building on institutional reforms of recent years, we have created “green lanes” for strategic investments, and expedited the business processes in various sectors and investment modalities.
A progressive and rationalized system of taxation is a component of the ease of doing business. ”

“ Our tourism has always been a reliable pillar of our economic growth through the years, providing livelihood to more than 5 million of our citizens. Because of the reopening of the economy, and the phenomenon of “revenge travel”, this sector is headed for a great rebound.
From January to June this year, we have received 3 million international visitors. This number is already 62 percent of our 4.8-million target for the entire year. ”

“ The trainings necessary to ease the transition of those whose jobs would be affected by the shift to digitalization are also now being included in the curricula and programs offered by TESDA, DICT, and other agencies of government.
It is our wish that one day foreign employment will be driven by choice, not by necessity. It remains a noble calling that our OFWs have answered, requiring great sacrifice from them, their families, and their communities.
We are engaging with our partners in the international community to ensure a safe working environment for our countrymen. ”

“ Investments in public infrastructure and in the capacity of our people—through food, education, health, jobs, and social protection—remain our top priority. For this year, economic and social services were allocated almost 70% of the national budget. ”

“ The continued employment of some 50,000 workers and the deployment of many more Filipino seafarers aboard EU vessels, has also been assured. The lesson for us is that our education and skills training must always be attuned to the high, exacting and constantly evolving global standards. ”

“ We are augmenting as well our school workforce.
90 percent of the newly created teaching positions have now been filled, while additional administrative personnel have been hired to unburden the teachers of any extra load.
Taking to heart the lessons of the pandemic, alternative delivery modes and blended learning methodologies have been adopted to ensure unhampered learning. Additional social safety nets, such as school-based feeding programs, are also being implemented.
Learners will be made more resilient. Our public schools and facilities are being increased and fortified. ”

“ Last year, out of the 4.1 million enrolled college students, almost 50 percent were beneficiaries of the country’s free higher education under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education program.
Deserving and talented students without the financial capacity to attend school, will not be left behind in this education agenda.
A culture of innovation, working hand-in-glove with a culture of entrepreneurship, must be fostered. This is “FILIPINNOVATION”. Science and technology, especially R&D, will be at its foundation. ”

“ As the world economy reopens, we are witnessing a rise in overseas Filipino deployment. In 2022, the number has increased by 62 percent. OFWs continue to send in historically high remittances, solidifying their role in our transformative economic growth. In 2022, our OFWs contributed 32.5 billion dollars, or roughly 1.8 trillion pesos, to our economy.
Several countries have also signified interest to explore bilateral labor cooperation with the Philippines in the areas of healthcare, tourism, hospitality, engineering, construction, and information technology. ”

“ We will not let a student’s financial constraints be a hindrance to his or her education. We have activated social safety nets, such as skills development training and youth employment programs. Tertiary education in state universities and colleges will remain free for our qualified students. ”

“ In the past year, it has been a source of great hope and optimism to me to now know that there is an enormous pool of highly competent and dedicated workers serving in our government. It is up to us to provide good leadership and guidance. They love the Philippines and have responded to our call. ”

“ The National ID system will be at the core of this digitally transformed network of government services. It will fundamentally change the lives of each Filipino. At 87% total registration, we are now closer to establishing a complete, accurate, and reliable digital database of our own for the entire population. ”

“ While the global prospects were bleak, our economy posted a 7.6 percent growth in 2022—our highest growth rate in 46 years. [applause] For the first quarter of this year, our growth has registered at 6.4 percent. It remains within our target of 6 to 7 percent for 2023. We are still considered to be among the fastest-growing economies in the Asian region and in the world. ”

“ When it comes to energy, renewable energy is the way forward. We are aggressively promoting renewables, so that it provides a 35 percent share in the power mix by 2030, and then on to 50 percent by 2040. To accelerate the realization of this green energy goal, we have opened renewable energy projects to foreign investments. ”

“ According to the Bangko Sentral, inflation is expected to ease further by the close of the year, and projected at 2.9 percent by 2024. [applause]
On matters of the economy, there are many things over which we have no control. But over those where we do have control, we are doing everything we can. ”

“ For almost half a century, some of our fellow Filipinos have taken to arms to make their views known and felt. We are now at a point in our history when their armed struggle has evolved. We have now progressed together towards peace and development. ”

“ Science, technology and innovation will drive the quality and competitiveness of our workforce, as well as our manufacturing, export, creative, and service industries, in existing markets and in new ones waiting to be explored. ”

“ To ensure sound financial management, a group of internationally recognized economic managers shall oversee the operations of the Fund, guided by principles of transparency and accountability. This guarantees that investment decisions will be based on financial considerations alone, absent any political influence. ”

“ There will be more improvements, as our internet infrastructure undergoes further upgrades. Early this year, Starlink went live in the Philippines, now providing high-speed satellite broadband connectivity. Our National Fiber Backbone and Broadband ng Masa projects will also deliver high-connectivity and high-speed internet. We are prioritising geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas. ”

“ Our existing bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, notably within the ASEAN framework, and with Japan, and with Europe, allow us to leverage our competitive advantages and reap economic benefits. We will continue to forge more of these international partnerships that will lead to a more balanced trade strategy and a healthier economic position. ”

“ Our Police and Armed Forces are being strengthened and modernized to be more effective in maintaining peace and order and in defending our sovereignty. We fully support the Judiciary’s efforts to improve the justice system and to protect constitutional rights. ”

“ Through the DepEd Partnership Assistance Portal, private sector partners continue their assistance in the rehabilitation and improvement of schools, as part of their corporate social responsibility programs.
We are recalibrating the K to 10 curriculum to ensure that it is always relevant, responsive, and at par with international standards. [applause] Literacy and numeracy skills need to be strengthened. The virtue of good citizenship and sense of community are also now integrated into our curriculum. ”

“ Digital users and consumers shall be protected from identity theft, phishing, other online scams, through essential systems and safeguards, such as cybersecurity, data privacy, consumer complaint mechanisms, and financial literacy campaigns. ”

“ We have learned many painful lessons from past disasters but we continue to be alert and prepared in our disaster response. It has, in fact, been commented that sometimes we are over-prepared for such natural disasters. ”

“ Puspusan ang ating ginagawa upang pataasin ang produksyon ng ating ekonomiya. Pinapalago natin ang mga industriya. Dinadagdagan natin ang mga imprastraktura upang mas mapabilis ang daloy ng mga produkto at ng serbisyo. ”

“ The shortage of classrooms and facilities is being addressed. Aside from new constructions, schools and facilities are being retrofitted to become ready for the future—ready for hybrid and high-tech learning, and also climate-ready and disaster-proof. ”

“ We initiated several railway projects, with a total length of more than 1,000 kilometers. Notably, the southern leg of the North-South Commuter Railway System is now in full swing. In a few years, travel from Pampanga to Laguna will be reduced from 4 hours to just 2. [applause]
Inter-modal connectivity will also be a primary consideration. Roads, bridges and mass transport systems will be interconnected. ”