Speech of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea during the Dutertenomics Forum
The Conrad Hotel, Pasay City
18 April 2017

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

It is my honor to open this gathering of distinguished economic managers, business leaders, bankers, diplomats, and representatives of multilateral institutions and chambers of commerce very aptly called the Dutertenomics Forum.

I commend the Department of Finance, the Presidential Communications Operations Office, and the Center for Strategy Enterprise and Intelligence for convening this forum to foster awareness on President Duterte’s economic and development blueprint for the Philippines.

It all started out with a simple yet pragmatic economic strategy: rid the streets of criminals, free our people from the menace of drug abuse, bring lasting peace to our Southern islands, and neutralize terrorist and extremist groups.

The concept is easy to understand: restore peace and order and the rule of law and everything else will follow including economic and social development.

Almost a year has passed since the new administration took the reigns of government and we now see that the President’s economic strategy is bearing fruit. 

There is a heightened sense of security among the citizenry and enhanced confidence in the business community.

To harness the onrush of economic activity naturally resulting from a more orderly society, we also see the need for a structured plan and that is where our economic managers enter the picture and take center stage.

That plan which we call Dutertenomics is anchored upon a 10-point socioeconomic agenda of the Duterte administration which focuses on the production of a progressive tax reform package and measures designed to bring about increased competitiveness, accelerated infrastructure spending, and improved social amelioration and development programs.

Needless to say, we shall continue current policies that have successfully contained inflation, stabilized foreign exchange, and attracted foreign investments.

The President shall also continue to give a special attention to the well-being of millions of overseas Filipino workers who have become a constant and reliable source of national income.

All these will be presented to us in a greater detail today by the President’s economic managers and our partners in the private business sector.

On behalf of the President, I wish you all a meaningful and productive forum. 

Maraming salamat po.

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