House Speaker Martin Romualdez has credited the country’s higher-than-expected full-year gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in 2022 to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s leadership and decision-making.
“Under the able leadership of the President, the nation’s GDP has been above 7 percent for the first six months of his term. His decision to reopen the economy despite the pandemic boosted growth,” Romualdez said in a statement Thursday afternoon, Jan. 26.
Earlier that day, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that GDP n the fourth quarter of 2022 grew by 7.2 percent, resulting in a full-year 7.6-percent growth for that year.
The growth rate exceeded the government’s target of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent.
Romualdez, Leyte’s 1st district congressman, also expressed optimism that the economic surge could continue this 2023.
“With the right policies that will continue to implement President Marcos’ Agenda for Prosperity roadmap, and with the existing close cooperation between the executive and legislative branches, we can build on our stellar economic performance,” he says.
Romualdez, arguably Marcos’s top ally in the legislature, called on Congress to continue supporting the Agenda for Prosperity with the needed legislation, including the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) Bill and measures to speed up the country’s digital transformation.
“The enactment of these proposed pieces of legislation will further enhance our economic performance,” he stressed.