Thank you Secretary Anton Lagdameo Jr. for your kind introduction. [Please sit down.]

Of course our host for all the festivities not only today but in the previous days for the MassKara Festival, Mayor Albee Benitez of Bacolod City; and the head of the — the CEO of the Alliance Global Group, Mr. Kevin Tan, who has been very, very active in helping our transformation of the economy; and of course the officials and employees of the Megaworld Corporation; all our congressmen, vice mayor — [Wala pa si Gov, hindi na humabol?] so the Vice Governor is here; all the other distinguished guests who have joined us this afternoon, thank you very much and magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat.

It is a big what we have just done here and it is particularly important to me because if you have been listening to what the plans of government is going to be or has been in the next few years to transform the economy into being able to compete and to succeed in the new global post-pandemic economy, you will have heard many, many times that we have talked about the partnership, the coordination, the synchronization between the public sector and the private sector.

And that is why Megaworld and Kevin here have shown that this is really the way forward for the future. We are coming out of a difficult time in our economic history. But we see the light coming not from one place. We see the light coming from our own people, from our government, and of course our private sector partnerships, individual citizens, and all of those who have participated in the partnerships that we are slowly forging and to give everyone a part in this transformation of our economy.

And the partnership that we have seen and being forged here is a very good example of just that. And these close partnerships must be important because the government and the private sector must work hand in hand, and Mayor Albee immediately recognized that.

So when Megaworld and Kevin announced that they were — when he came and have this new development, immediately he was made an honorary son of Bacolod City. So we were having lunch earlier, he was so proud. Sabi niya, “Binigyan ako ng award ng ano ng Mayor. Ginawa akong adopted son ng Bacolod City.” Ika ko sa kanya, “Akala mo libre ‘yan.” [laughter] Akala… Nawala ‘yung ngiti niya eh. [laughter]

Sabi ko, “That’s going to cost you a lot of money.” [laughter] But I think he has already spent that money. The numbers that you’re talking about are very significant, are substantial. Aba iyan na nga ‘yan ang sinasabi sisi… [laughter] Sinasabi ni Mayor Albee kulang pa daw kaya marami pang — mukhang may plano pang isisingil sa’yo.

But it is particularly significant because we have now begun this development. The Megaworld together with the help of the city government and the provincial government, Megaworld what they have started here has been done in this very historical place.

And if you look at the one of the — pagpasok namin nakita ko kaagad ‘yung tren. That is an original one na talagang ginamit para sa pag-transport ng tubo. And I was just informed before coming here that my father-in-law worked here in this central, in this mill.

So again it has many, many significant connections to Bacolod City and it is a very important site, it is a historical site, and it will now become more than just a historical site. It will become a center for development in Bacolod City and I believe for the rest of the region.

If we continue on this trajectory, I am very confident, malakas ang loob ko na makapagsabi na siguro sa ilang taon, hindi na tayo masyadong maghihintay makikita natin na dadami ang trabaho. At ang pinag-uusapan dito ay hindi ‘yung basta-basta trabaho, kung hindi ‘yung magagandang trabaho na may kasamang benefit, na may kasamang mga safety net, na may kasamang mga lahat ng mga pangangailangan ng mga trabahador, which is something that is very, very important because it is quality jobs. Jobs are important but quality jobs are even more important and that is what they will get here.

And I’m not talking only about the people that will work here. But if you think of the suppliers, you think of the consumers, you think of the transport workers, think of all of the ancillary services that surround a large development such as this and you will see that ang effect talaga, ang downstream, ang upstream na effect, ay very, very significant at mararamdaman talaga ng community.

And so we thank Kevin Tan for his continuing faith in the Philippines at patuloy — and that is… A clever businessman like Kevin will not invest this much if he does not have a confidence that this will succeed. And this can only succeed if the rest of the country is doing well.

And that is what we are looking forward to and since his predictions — sa negosyo hindi pa ito nalulugi eh. [laughter] Kaya ‘pag sinabi siyang “kikita ‘yan,” naniniwala akong kikita ‘yan.

Kaya congratulations sa Bacolod City, congratulations Megaworld for this new development that you have begun and we look forward to more of this — more from Megaworld, more from other groups all around the country.

And I think dahan-dahan we will begin to see it will lift up the rest of the economy. Ang kasabihan hindi ba ‘pag tumaas ‘yung tubig, lahat nung bangka ay tumataas din. Kaya’t pagka tumaas ang tubig ng buong Pilipinas, lahat tayo, lahat nung mga ating bangka ay tataas din. This is a good start.

Maraming, maraming salamat sa inyo at magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat. [applause]

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