President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday agreed with an economist who gave him an “incomplete” grade for his first year in office, saying he and his Cabinet have “many, many things that we still need to do.”
Marcos acknowledged that fulfilling his campaign promises is still “a work in progress” as he marks one year into his presidency.
“I saw a report earlier this morning where one of the economists said the grade I will give the President is incomplete. I agree with him. We are not done,” the Chief Executive said.
“There are many, many things that we still need to do. We have to undo 30, 35, and almost 40 years of neglect in the agricultural sector. And the agricultural sectors still occupy the most fundamental part of our economy. We have done a lot of growth (and) we are beginning to see the systemic changes that will be part of the new bureaucracy, but there is still a long way to go,” Marcos added.
The President stressed, though, that the government would continue to work to reduce inflation, which he described as the “biggest problem” in the economy.
He pointed out that the international situation has changed regarding trade and geopolitics, hence his government is adjusting to that. Marcos added that the most successful economies are agile and resilient.
He said his administration is stepping up its attempts to draw in new investors.
“The job ahead of us is to make big structural changes that we have instituted, to make them work, and so we can see the results, not only in terms of statistics in the PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) but also in the lives of ordinary people,” Marcos said.
“We have to work smart, and we have to work well and be very conscious. We should not be insular and think that only the Philippines exists,” Marcos added.