We are a country with too many serious problems demanding attention, yet much of our national energy continues to be consumed by politics, political maneuvering and personal agendas.
Our government leaders should be focusing on the economy and on the everyday struggles of Filipinos. Inflation must be contained. The peso must be strengthened. An economy growing at only 2.3% needs to regain momentum. Our trade and current account deficits need to be addressed. The widening budget deficit must be controlled. A national debt already exceeding P19T cannot simply be allowed to climb indefinitely.
Jobs must also become a national priority. Millions of Filipinos remain unemployed or underemployed, while many of those counted as employed survive on incomes barely sufficient for their families. Poverty must be pushed firmly into single digits, not merely statistically, but in terms of food on the table, decent housing, education, healthcare and purchasing power.
The Philippines also badly needs investments. Foreign direct investments should be rising, factories should be opening, businesses should be expanding and better-paying jobs should be created. Instead, investors watch our economic indicators, infrastructure problems, policy uncertainty and governance issues very closely.
Then there is the unresolved flood control controversy. Billions upon billions of pesos have supposedly been spent, yet communities continue to flood. Accountability cannot end with hearings, accusations and political theater. The people deserve to know where the money went, who benefited and who must be held responsible.
These problems are interconnected. Slow growth, persistent inflation, weak investment, fiscal deficits, mounting debt and inadequate job creation can reinforce one another. If growth continues to stagnate while prices remain elevated, the danger of stagflation becomes increasingly difficult to dismiss. If these weaknesses are allowed to worsen, recession becomes an even more serious risk.
And 2028 will eventually come.
When this administration steps down, the next government will inherit whatever has been repaired, but also whatever has been neglected: the debt, deficits, unfinished infrastructure, investment weaknesses, employment problems and the social consequences of years of economic underperformance.
That is why governance today cannot be about surviving until the next election.
Our leaders should be asking how to leave the Philippines stronger than they found it, not how to strengthen themselves politically before they leave office.
The Filipino people need lower prices, better jobs, stronger purchasing power, more investments, honest infrastructure spending and an economy capable of giving their children a better future.
There is already more than enough politics in this country.
What we desperately need now is good governance.
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