President Marcos said that administration newcomers Finance Secretary Ralph Recto and Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go will play vital roles in achieving prosperity for the country.

Marcos said this as he formally introduced Recto and Go as the new members of his economic team in a press briefing in Malacañan on Friday afternoon, Jan. 12.

In his remarks, the President said it would be easy to tell that Recto and Go are effective leaders who can help the country's growth.

"Even a perfunctory research will immediately show that Secretary Go and Secretary Recto are distinguished leaders whose expertise, vision, and dedication will undoubtedly contribute to the prosperity of our country," he said.

According to Marcos, Recto will be a significant player in how the country meets and even surpasses the government's medium-term fiscal target and achieves its developmental targets.

"He will promote not just ease in paying taxes but also in efficiently and effectively spending those collections. Because a citizen's reward for tax compliance should be better and more responsive public services," he said.

"He will continue to help devise strategies that will tame inflation through a bastion of responses ranging from plugging supply gaps to injecting nonmonetary measures so that prices will be stable," he added.

President Marcos is also confident that Recto will use his influence in both houses of Congress to pass bills that accelerate growth, draw in investments, and create better jobs while raising funds that will be invested back for human and physical capital formation.

"Many of the measures that make tax regimes more efficient, easy to administer and to comply with, and equitable are in the advanced stages in both houses of Congress" he said.

The Chief Executive said his marching order to Recto was to lead the government's anti-smuggling drive and pursue tax cheats, starting with the habitual ones "who have raised tax evasion not just to an art, but into a business."

Meanwhile, President Marcos expressed confidence that Go's wealth of experience in the private sector will significantly contribute when the country takes a leap toward economic growth.

"He has a vision of innovation, and Secretary Go will help us create an environment that will not just draw in investment but realize, ushering in an era of unprecedented growth across industries," he said.

"He will ensure the effective integration and implementation of various investments and economic policies of the government," he added.