The Palace welcomes the results of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted last June 23-26 showing Filipinos’ net personal optimism and net optimism about the economy at “excellent” levels, registering +40 and +27 respectively.

We have made significant strides in the first year to ensure the inclusion of the marginalized and disadvantaged sectors, which form part of our objective to reduce overall poverty rate from 21.6 percent in 2015 to 14 percent by 2022, as per our Philippine Development Plan. This includes free medicine to indigents, free education to public school college students, free irrigation to farmers, free public internet access, higher pension for seniors, increased combat duty pay and combat incentive pay for soldiers and policemen, additional rice subsidy to conditional cash transfer recipients, microfinancing system (or pondo sa pagbabago at pag-asenso), higher employment compensation funeral benefit, strengthening the anti-hospital deposit law, among others.

However, much more needs to be done, such as implementing institutional changes. The government has thus certified as urgent a comprehensive tax reform package to boost the economy and accelerate infrastructure development while raising spending for the poor. This would lay down a strong foundation for inclusive and sustainable growth to enable our people to achieve their aspiration of a “matatag, maginhawa, at panatag na buhay.”