“2024 is our moment,” asserts Diokno.

Thanks to the vision and leadership of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., “the World Bank has projected the Philippines to post the highest growth among Southeast Asian countries.”

During the Philippine Economic Briefing in San Francisco, CA last 15 November 2023, Mike Samson, incoming chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bank Philippines, said the World Bank prediction was made on the basis of the “Philippines’ unwavering commitment to achieving economic growth, social progress, and sustainable development.”

There are “strong domestic demand, growth in fixed capital investment, and supportive regulatory reforms that underpin the Philippines’ unique economic resilience amid the global economic slowdown.”

Adding impetus to the overwhelming optimism for 2024 was the Daily Tribune report on 27 December 2023 that said President Marcos’ efforts to promote investments in the Philippines domestically and internationally had resulted in P1.16 trillion in investment approvals by the Board of Investments.

The Department of Trade and Industry and the Office of the President also reported last Wednesday that the foreign travels of Marcos had resulted in actualized investments of P300 billion.

Inspired by the vision and leadership of the President, Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, who heads the administration’s economic team, showcased the Philippines as one of the
fastest-growing countries in the ASEAN region.

“We have opened up the economy. We didn’t wait for the virus to subside, we opened up many sectors, and the economy really is doing very well. It is one of the fastest-growing countries in the fastest-growing region in the world. This is our moment,” he said.

Alongside Diokno were Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr., Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, and National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.

Diokno went into the Philippines’
first-ever Medium-Term Fiscal Framework, Maharlika Investment Fund, and global bond offerings.

The Department of Finance can continue working together with Congress to pass key reforms that are crucial to accelerating economic development.

Huge investments raised domestically and internationally, plus tax revenues, will provide sufficient funding for the massive infrastructure demand to improve physical and digital connectivity throughout the country.

Meanwhile, in the realm of sports, for the first time in the history of Philippine participation in the Olympics, the country, under the presidency of sports buff Bongbong Marcos, will compete for three or more gold medals in the Paris Olympics 2024.

The Philippines’ participation at the Olympics from 26 July to 11 August 2024 marks the centenary of the country’s debut in the same city. Filipino athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games from 1924 onwards except for Moscow 1980 when it took part in the
US-led boycott.

The Philippines has four competitors who have qualified for Paris: Ernest John “EJ” Obiena in men’s athletics; Eumir Marcial, men’s boxing; Carlos Yulo, men’s gymnastics, and Aleah Finnegan, women’s gymnastics.

Most awaited is the entry of Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao in either the 63.5-kg or 71-kg weight category. The Philippine Olympic Committee has made a special request to the International Olympic Committee to let Pacquiao compete.

Hidilyn Diaz, being a defending Olympic weightlifting champion, is automatically in the Olympics to compete for her second gold.