Thank you very much for all of your attendance, Your  Excellencies at this Vin D’Honneur. And I thank, of course, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, the Most Reverend Archbishop Charles John Brown for his very kind remarks which reflects a very good understanding, I think, of the Filipino culture and we are very flattered and are happy to call you and the rest of the members of the Diplomatic Corps as friends.

I was noticing when we were welcoming the different ambassadors, how many — how much conversation we all had with each other and this is an indication of all the many things that we have started in the past year or so and the things that we are following up.

There are so many things that we still talk about and for that assistance. Of course, the comments of our — the Apostolic Nuncio about BARMM. Again, we look to many of our friends and allies for all the assistance they have given us.

If we have met with any kind of success, that success… Your assistance has been an enormous part of that success and for that, we thank you.

And for the engagements that you have — that we have made in the past year or so. I thank you for that too. And we look forward to continuing that.

Allow me to also greet the Senate President, Senate President Chiz Escudero; also here with us is the House Speaker, House Speaker Martin Romualdez; all the other Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps; Executive Secretary, Chief Luc Bersamin; and of course, probably someone who you are actually more familiar with and spend more time with than myself, the First Lady, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos [applause]; all my fellow workers in government; honored guests; ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

It is a great pleasure for me to host this very important occasion with the members of the Diplomatic Corps [as] we celebrate one of the — I’ll amend that. We celebrate the proudest moment of our storied past — the Philippine independence.

One hundred twenty-six years on since the Philippine flag was first unfurled in 1898 to let flutter in the fresh breeze of freedom, the flame of Filipino nationalism
that sustained our ancestors in their quest for freedom remains lit in the beating heart of the Filipino nation to this very day.

The glow is not lost [in] us.  From a flickering flame into a fiery blaze — this is how our patriotic sentiments can easily rouse whenever our collective and common interest as a nation is tested.

On many occasions, great trials have all the more strengthened our resolve and unified our people because as I have said, “Filipinos do not yield.”

The struggle for Philippine independence continues to reverberate to this day, not against colonial oppression, but against modern-day challenges. We draw inspiration from the valor, resilience, and untiring spirit of our forefathers as we tackle these new challenges confronting our country.

Today’s reception is more than just a commemoration of the birth of the Philippine Republic – the first in Asia – but a strong affirmation of our century-old nationhood, and of our collective duty as Filipinos to safeguard what our forefathers have fought and died for so that we may carry on our sacrosanct mandate to protect our country and to defend everything that is [rightfully] ours from those who will try to cross [the redlines].

We must dig deep into our valiant past, draw strength from the heroism of our forefathers, and let this heritage of selflessness propel us forward into the future.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

As I stir the economic rudder of the nation towards progress, I am guided by the newly minted “brand of governance” that we have come to call Bagong Pilipinas, which roughly translates into New Philippines.

It is a brand of governance that engenders social and economic inclusivity and transformation; inspires hope and confidence in our people; and promises transformative change for the betterment of Filipinos.

To bring this aspiration into fruition, my administration continues to institute policies and implement measures as laid out in [the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028] aimed at galvanizing [our] economy amidst global economic difficulties.

The recent launching of Bagong Pilipinas is opportune to chart a new beginning
for the Philippines that transcends political [colors] and social background.

Allow me to take this occasion to share with you the state of our economy.

Despite the woes brought about by global inflation, our country has still managed to curb inflation to a reasonable — almost manageable level. It remains unfortunately our greatest problem and this is inflation that is brought about by forces that we cannot control.

But nonetheless, I think that we have done a good job and with this… It is a very large improvement from what we were under — the situation that we were under maybe a year ago.

To date,  we are within 3.5%, within the government’s target band of 2[%] to 4[%].

I [am] also happy to note that the Philippines continues to enjoy a good rating as an investment — credit rating as an investment destination. We are credited with a stable outlook, which signals [growth momentum] in the medium term.

It translates to more accessible financing for our government and for our programs.

So, we will maintain that status and we will try to improve that and across all major regional and international [debt rating] agencies.

We now continue to work on our growth and we have now recently been forecast to have a — one of the highest growth rates for the next year and I think that this bodes well for the transformation of our economy, especially as we are trying to recover from the effects of our very bad drought and trying to prepare for what is coming with the rainy season.

But we — on the foreign policy front. And I was just listening to the Apostolic Nuncio and I said, you have made a very, very good description of foreign policy. I should write it down and with your permission, I will plagiarize some of your description.

We continue to chart an independent foreign policy in keeping with our constitutional mandate. [This] we pursue through international engagements that seek to strengthen existing alliances [and] build new partnerships with like-minded states.

Our foreign policy is grounded on the continuing promotion and work for peace,
and the continuing promotion and work for our national interest.

On the global stage, we have taken positions in support of the rule of law and of the rules-based international order, grounded on the principles laid out in the UN Charter and multilateral conventions.

As we continue to promote diplomacy and dialogue in our efforts to “build bridges in our various multilateral advocacies – such as for peace, economic development,
climate change, amongst others – we shall endeavor to enhance engagements with bilateral, regional, [and] multilateral partners, especially in areas where cooperation has not yet reached its full potential.

With Bagong Pilipinas, it is with confidence that I say that we are engaging the world for our country and for our people.

At this point ladies and gentlemen, allow me to ask you to join me in a toast and raise a glass to stronger bilateral ties between our countries, and deepening linkages between our peoples in the many years ahead.

Here’s to all of your good health, long life,
and prosperity.

Cheers! [applause]

— END —