By Genalyn Kabiling
President Duterte has achieved more than the combined terms of his two predecessors in terms of policy reforms and infrastructure projects, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo highlighted the achievements of the Duterte administration after former President and now House Speaker Gloria Arroyo called for sustained government action to sustain the slowdown in the country’s inflation.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo
(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN)
"Speaker Arroyo shares the pronouncements of the economic team that we must produce tangible results; hence, we did not wait for the second half of PRRD's term to come up the desired economic gains,” Panelo said.
"The Speaker must be aware that the two and half years of the Duterte presidency has achieved more than the combined terms of the Arroyo and Aquino presidencies in terms of major policy reforms and flagship infrastructure projects duly processed and ready for groundbreaking, and some already near completion,” he added.
Duterte said the administration has wasted "no time and resources" in enhancing workers' employability and competitiveness.
For 2018, he said they have generated 826,000 net employment with services and industry as main drivers for growth based on the report of the Department of Labor and Employment.
"Further, we expect to create more jobs this year and the coming years with the Build, Build, Build infrastructure program now firing in all cylinders," he added.
Arroyo earlier called on the government to implement its infrastructure projects and other programs "quickly and efficiently" following the inflation slowed down to 5.1 percent in
December.
The former leader said this was to "produce results our people will feel in their day-to-day lives."
The country's inflation slowed down to 5.1 percent in December, from 6 percent in November 2018. It was the second consecutive drop after a nine-year high of 6.7 percent in September.
Panelo credited both Duterte and Arroyo for taking decisive action to tame inflation.
"In taking action on the issue of inflation, we saw the collaboration of the Executive and the House leadership. This is a good case of statesmanship demanded by our people from their elected leaders," he said.