MANILA, Aug. 7 — The government must sustain a high growth trajectory in the coming years to realize the goals of the righteous path being championed by the administration, a Palace official said on Thursday.
Commenting on observations made during the Ateneo Eagle Watch Mid-Year Briefing 2015 that the Aquino government’s weakness is its lack of long-term vision, Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said that President Benigno S. Aquino III has described his concrete vision for the country in his previous addresses.
Citing an example, Secretary Coloma said that in the President’s recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), he presented a graph showing the trajectory of the Philippines’ economic growth under the “daang matuwid”.
The President highlighted the need for a sustained economic growth in the coming years to achieve the goals of his reform initiatives, Coloma told reporters during the daily press briefing in Malacañang.
From 2010 to 2014, the five-year average gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.2 percent is the highest the country has achieved in the past four decades and if the Philippines posts a GDP growth of 6.8 percent this year, it will be the country’s highest growth in six decades, Coloma said, citing the figures mentioned by the President.
The President however pointed out in his SONA that five or six years of successive excellent growth will not be enough to have a long-term impact, he said.
“Kinakailangan ay ‘yung sustained high growth trajectory na tinatawag na pwedeng matamo kung maipagpapatuloy at magiging permanente ang mga reporma na alinsunod sa tuwid na daan,” Coloma said.
“Kaya nga ang pinupunto natin dito, mahalaga na maipagpatuloy ang mga reporma na sinimulan na sa kasalukuyang administrasyon.”
To achieve this goal, he said, one of the major thrusts of the government is to invest in its people, as the President has stated many times.
The Philippines is also in a “demographic sweet spot”, in which a huge percentage of its population belongs to the productive age of 15 years old to 64 years old as a result of its high population growth
“Kaya kapag pinagsabay ‘yung demographic sweet spot na ito sa sustained high growth ng ating ekonomiya ay matatamo natin ang inaasam na long-term inclusive growth na mapapakinabangan ng maraming mamamayan,” he said.
Fighting corruption is not just a slogan for the government, Coloma said, emphasizing that it is one of the pillars of the Philippine Development Plan, along with sustained inclusive growth, climate change adaptation, peace and order and security, social development and poverty reduction, and good governance.
“Kaya po pinapalakas natin ang ating mga pampublikong institusyon sa pambansa at sa lokal na antas sa pamamagitan ng mga iba’t ibang programa katulad ng seal of transparency, citizen’s charter, performance-based bonus, at iba pa,” he explained.
“Iyan po ang pagpapatunay na hindi lang slogan ang paglaban sa korupsyon. Pinapalakas po natin ang ating mga pampublikong institusyon.”(PCOO/PND (as)
