President Marcos has vowed to invest in job-generating infrastructure and social protection programs to further lower the country's poverty rate to nine percent by 2028 after reporting that the poverty rate dropped to 15.5 percent last year.

In a video message late Friday, Aug. 9, Marcos noted that 2.5 million Filipinos were lifted out of poverty and only 10.9 percent of Filipino families remain poor.

The President reiterated his remark during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) last month that all his administration's efforts are useless if the people's lives are not improving.

"Our goal is to further reduce this rate to nine percent by 2028 and improve the lives of eight million Filipinos," he said.

"Balewala lahat ng ating ginagawa kung walang pagbabago sa buhay ng mga Pilipino (Everything we are doing is for naught if nothing changes in the lives of Filipinos)," he added.

Marcos assured the public that the government will continue investing in job-generating infrastructure, social protection programs, health, and education for all Filipinos.

"We will not rest on our laurels but use them to propel us forward into social and economic transformation," he added.

Meanwhile, the President also reported that the Philippine economy grew by 6.3 percent in the second quarter of this year, compared to the previous year. He said it is among the highest among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"This is due to the increase in investments and construction under the Build Better More program," he said.

President Marcos also reported the drop in the country’s unemployment rate in June to 3.1 percent, one of the lowest on record for the last two decades. Over 50.3 million Filipinos are now employed, with 63.8 percent of them in the formal sector.