(DOF kumpiyansa) ECONOMIC GROWTH TARGET MAKAKAMIT

MATATAMO ang economic growth target ng pamahalaan ngayong taon, ayon sa Department of Finance (DOF).

“I think for the government, our target is 6 to 7 percent. It looks still very achievable,” pahayag ni DOF chief economist Domini Velasquez sa isang business journalism seminar na inorganisa ng San Miguel Corporation at ng  Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines noong Sabado.

Ang ekonomiya ng bansa ay lumago ng  5.7 percent sa first quarter ng taon.

Sa first quarter, ang lahat ng major economic indicators na kinabibilangan ng agriculture, forestry, and fishing; industry; at services ay nagtala ng year-on-year growth na 0.4 percent, 5.1 percent, at  6.9 percent.

Sinabi ni Velasquez na kailangang lumago ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas ng 6.1 percent sa susunod na tatlong quarters upang makamit ang 6-percent growth target para sa taon.

Gayunman, sinabi niya na ang ekonomiya ay posibleng lumago ng mas mabilis ng kaunti sa  second quarter ng taon.

Ang mga magtutulak sa paglago ay kinabibilangan ng magandang employment data, at paglakas ng manufacturing at  exports.

“We have been very reliant in services but manufacturing has been quite reliant post-pandemic,” ani Velasquez.

Aniya, ang mga kasalukuyang panukala sa ilalim ng Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) MORE (Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy) upang madagdagan ang mga insentibo para sa power cost ay makatutulong sa pagbilis ng paglago sa manufacturing sector.

Inaasahan ding lalakas ang household consumption at government spending sa mga darating na quarters.

“So, once this [household consumption] kicks in, once we have stable inflation, we do think that this will increase and it will prop up your growth kasi yun yung mga [those are the] heavy lifter in terms of growth,” ayon kay Velasquez.

“When we look at it, moving forward, it seems that the Philippines will be growing at this kind of pace so when we talk about the potential growth of the Philippines, it’s really at this level. I think maybe around 6 percent,” dagdag pa niya.

Nauna nang sinabi ng National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) na base sa latest available data, nahigitan na ng economic growth ng Pilipinas  anh ibang major economies sa rehiyon.

Sinabi ni NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan na ang first-quarter Philippine gross domestic product growth rate ay kapareho ng sa Vietnam, at nalampasan ang ibang , major economies tulad ng China sa 5.3 percent, Indonesia sa 5.1 percent, at Malaysia sa 3.9 percent.

(PNA)