President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday touted the country’s better economic condition and reiterated the government’s commitment to further improve the lives of Filipinos.
“Kung datos lang ang pag-uusapan, maganda ang ating ekonomiya at tumaas ang kumpiyansa ng mga negosyante. Bumaba ang inflation, at dumami rin ang trabaho (If we talk about data alone, our economy is doing well and business confidence increased. Inflation eased and employment also went up),” Marcos said in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that inflation settled at 1.4 percent in June this year as government measures helped ease food prices.
The number of employed Filipinos, meanwhile, went up to 50.29 million in May this year from 48.87 million in the same month in 2024.
“Ngunit ang lahat ng ito ay palamuti lamang at walang saysay, kung ang ating kababayan naman ay hirap at nabibigatan sa kanilang buhay (But all of this is just decoration and meaningless, if our countrymen are struggling and burdened with their lives),” he added.
More employment opportunities
Marcos said the government would ramp up efforts to provide more employment opportunities for Filipinos.
“Maayos na hanapbuhay talaga ang mabisang pantiyak laban sa kahirapan at laban sa gutom. Dumarami ang mga nalilikhang hanapbuhay sa ating bansa ngayon (A stable employment is truly an effective assurance against poverty and hunger. The number of job opportunities being created in our country is increasing),” Marcos said.
Marcos said the Department of Labor and Employment, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Tourism, and other government agencies would provide opportunities to unemployed Filipinos.
He said the government would continue to provide funding with low interest rates and no collateral to more entrepreneurs.
The President said the government would also support intellectual property and offer free training and capital to help lift people out of poverty and enable them to establish businesses.
“Hindi tayo titigil hanggang halos dalawa’t kalahating milyong maralitang pamilya ang natulungan nating magkaroon ng kanilang sariling maliit na negosyo (We will not stop until we have helped nearly two and a half million poor families start their own small businesses),” he said.
“Palalaguin natin ang mga industriya-mga pabrika ng sasakyan, hulmahan, at electronics, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, telang Pinoy, Halal, construction, at mga planta ng kuryente (We will grow industries such as car manufacturing, molding, electronics, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, Filipino textiles, Halal, construction, and power plants),” the President added.
Marcos also urged businesses to invest in the Philippines, especially in the country’s agriculture sector.
“And my singular resounding message to the international business community is this: The Philippines is ready. Invest in the Filipino.
Our cavalcade of dependable and hardworking Filipinos, innately skilled, adaptable, and possessed with a heart for service, are here, ready to work and to succeed with you,” Marcos said. (PNA)
