MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. voiced optimism that the government would be able to answer the questions that Filipinos ask themselves daily with the implementation of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, as the plan aims to ensure that every sector is part of the economic development.
Marcos said this after Malacañang issued Executive Order No. 14 on Jan. 27. The order approves and adopts the PDP 2023-2028, which sets the country’s roadmap for economic recovery.
In his speech during the PDP 2023-2028 Forum in Pasay City, the President highlighted the importance of addressing the daily battles of the ordinary Filipino as the government will be judged based on how it dealt with their plight– something that he said: “requires action.”
“Their struggles are embedded in their respected daily battles: How do I make ends meet? How can I bring food to the table? What is my future going to look like? Will my children live in a better Philippines than the one I grew up in?” he said on Monday, Jan. 30.
“It is my firm belief that answering these questions will be the defining challenge for us who are called to serve and will be the barometer through which the government will be measured,” he added.
“We look towards the future with hold, with optimism, but our gaze can only go as far as what we have done to unburden the life of the ordinary Filipino,” he continued.
The President said he was optimistic about the country’s future as the government implements the PDP.
“The plan that will serve as our guide in building a more prosperous, inclusive, and resilient society,” he said.
“It is a plan that will set the Philippines towards becoming an upper-middle-income country by the year 2025,” he added.
More than economic development
Marcos said the PDP focuses on economic development and social development and protection, disaster resilience, digital transformation, and many other things.
“The plan represents not only our aspirations as a people but also our resolve to build a nation that we can all be truly proud of,” he said.
According to the Chief Executive, the PDP’s goal is to reinvigorate job creation and accelerate poverty reduction by steering the economy back on the high-growth path and effect economic transformation.
“These are truly bold plans, but I have confidence in the minds of those who will become our partners in realizing this vision contained in this document and faith in the capacity of our people,” Marcos said.
“This is where we need all our partners’ inputs, our partners in the local government, our partners in the private sector, our partners in civil society, even our partners in the uniformed services. Every part of society must be part of this transformation,” he added.
Digitalization
In his speech, President Marcos renewed his push for the country’s digitalization. He said the government’s strategy to foster dynamic innovation in ecosystems would attract more investments and generate more good jobs.
“If we manage to put together these best minds that can apply their particular talents to the problems that we face, we will set sail towards transforming our sectors and key areas such as digitalization in order to build a better data system that will create better government programs,” he said.
“We will enhance our connectivity amongst our islands and with the rest of the world to facilitate greater movement of goods and people to keep the economy thriving and active,” he added.
Private sector
Marcos reiterated that the help of the private sector is essential as the government could not push through with its initiatives alone.
“It is a very simple axiomatic principle that we follow, and that is very simply that we, the government, cannot do this alone. We must strengthen our partnerships with our private sector partners both here and abroad,” he said.
“We will continue to strengthen the cooperation between local and national governments as well as further boost partnerships between government and the private sector,” he added.
President Marcos likewise enjoined the public to participate in the “whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach” to implement the PDP effectively.
“After all, the success of our government and our nation lies in all of us working together,” he said.
“We need to cooperate and collaborate so we can realize our goals moving forward,” he added.
