11 November 2020 via Recorded Message
Good morning everyone!
Magandang umaga po sa lahat ng uma-attend nitong Affinity Summit. Again, congratulations to our partners from HAFFI and of course to all the Board of Directors and as well as the members, for organizing again another game-changing activity and forum. This is really what we need in times right now the pandemic and it’s important partners po ng DTI like HAFFI continue to empower our kakabayan sa ating mga Micro SMEs, in really being exposed to all possible solutions to the problems that we are all encountering right now.
It is really important that we are reminded that the future is still bright. We are in the pandemic but we are finding solutions, solution to the virus itself as well as solutions to our businesses. Nowadays, nauuso po ang pagrevisit ng mga vision, revisit ng mga business models. Nowadays it’s important that we really think of our strengths and weaknesses. Matching it with the current situation that we have now, the threat that we face.
However, there are definitely opportunities in crisis and marami po sa inyo I’m sure masuwerte na nahanap ang panibagong business models in your businesses. Thank you for all the speakers and panelist who will be sharing their experiences, ‘yung mga magagandang experience and ‘yung mga findings nila during the pandemic. Hopefully, ‘yung mga iba po that can learn from these valuable insights, will be able to use in business and again bounce back dito sa hinaharap ninyo sa future.
Maganda naman po ang nangyayari ngayon as we are reopening the economy. Marami pong positive signs of recovery I must say. Just today this morning, we have seen GDP at least ‘yung decline po niya ay bumaba na, dati po ay -16.5% tayo nung second quarter and the third quarter naging -11.5%. And we see a continuing decline and preparing ourselves for a positive growth especially by next year.
Even exports if you have heard ay nagpositive 2% na rin, first time positive after the decline during the lockdown na bumaba pa ‘yan ng kalahati by 50% and we’re now month on month positive ng 2%.
Unemployment just gone down from 17.7% to 10% and we hope to see a single digit unemployment rate in the next reading. Ang PMI index close to 50 which is really the benchmark and we went down to 30. FDI investments by the way has really gone up in the past three months. In fact, the recent report positive growth of 44% if I remember correctly.
These are positive signs ng the fundamentals of economy are still very strong. As we are reopening the economy the signs are very positive and we can readily bounce back. It may take a little more time, maybe a few more months but definitely we will be on a positive growth ahead, especially when we talk of 2021.
The indicators I’ve mentioned are just a few, dadami pa po ‘yan and sana po we find new ways of doing things. We discover new opportunities and through this summit alam ko po marami sa inyo will benefit from the sharing that we will be having today in this summit.
I wish all the best and hopefully you can really maximize all these learnings that will be happening in today’s summit. With that I’d like to just say good luck po sa inyong lahat at wag kayong makalimot na ang Pilipinas po was really one of the strongest, fastest growing economies in the world. Second or third fastest tayo. We were there and we will definitely go back in that kind of growth. Kasama po kayo doon at hopefully kayo rin ang magdala ng ganitong recovery that we will really having.
Ang government po, ang DTI will continue to support all these activities. And we continue to conduct or open up policies as well as program para po lumago pa ng lumago ang ating mga Micro SMEs. Kasama nyo po kami sa pagpapaluwag ng ekonomiya at pagbibigay po ng mga relief measures para po makabangon po uli lahat.
Again, Maraming Salamat po sa pagkakataon na ito to be facing all of you and good luck again.♦
Date of Release: 11 November 2020