P R E S I D E N T
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has
done an “impressive job in
his first year in office, providing the country with a
steady and reliable leadership in the face of difficult
challenges,” said Cavite
Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr.
“The President
buckled down to work and
took the bull by the horns,
so to speak,” said Barzaga, a stalwart of the National Unity Party (NUP).
Barzaga said the
Chief Executive was also
able to restore decency
in public office, pointing
out that Marcos “has always comported himself
with dignity, exuding confidence.”
The senior lawmaker, chair of the House
Committee on Natural Resources, said Marcos has
been a “consummate professional who has never
let emotions get the better of him.” “I like how the
President carries himself.
He was humble enough
to give himself an ‘incomplete’ grade in his first year
while being firm in saying
that it’s best to take things
in stride as the country is
getting back on its feet
post-pandemic,” Barzaga
said.
The Cavite congressman said the President has also helped the
country regain respect
in the international community, especially since
he, being a Marcos, is a
household name.
He said the Chief
Executive promoted the
country as an investment
destination in his foreign
trips, where he also forged
closer diplomatic and economic ties with other nations, especially the United States.
Barzaga also
cited as one of the huge
accomplishments of the
administration the further
slowing down of headline
inflation rates to 6.1 percent last May.
According to the
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the main
driver of the lower inflation rates was a decline
in costs of transportation,
food and non-alcoholic
beverages, and restaurants and accommodations.
“Among the 13
commodity groups, the
downtrend of the headline
inflation in May 2023 was
primarily brought about
by the annual decline in
the index of transport at
-0.5 percent from a 2.6
percent annual increase
in the previous month.
The heavily-weighted food
and non-alcoholic beverages also pulled down
the overall inflation during
the month with a lower inflation rate of 7.4 percent
from 7.9 percent in April
2023,” PSA said in its report.
Barzaga also
noted that the economy
grew by 7.6 percent and
7.2 percent in the third and
fourth quarters of 2022
and 6.4 percent in the first
quarter of 2023 which is
well within the government’s target.
The National
Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
has said that among major
emerging economies in
the region that have so far
released their first quarter 2023 real GDP growth
rates, “the Philippines
grew the fastest, followed
by Indonesia (5.0 percent), China (4.5 percent),
and Vietnam (3.3 percent).
NEDA said the
country’s growth “is also
more rapid” than the forecasted first quarter growth
rates for Malaysia (4.9
percent),India (4.6 percent), and Thailand (2.8
percent).
“The Marcos
Jr. administration is doing something right. We
just have to remain on
track and ensure that this
growth is trickling down to
the grassroots level,” Barzaga said. MS
