(Sa kabila ng pandemya) PH ECONOMY SISIGLA PA SA 2022

INAASAHANG lalago pa ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas ngayong taon sa kabila ng banta ng pagtaas ng kaso ng COVID-19, ayon sa ulat ng IHS Markit sa Economic Outlook Briefing na inorganisa ng Board of Investments (BOI) at idinaos virtually noong Enero 26, 2022.

Sinabi ni Rajiv Biswas, Executive Director at APAC Chief Economist ng IHS Markit, na ang 2022 ay isa na namang taon ng global recovery, kung saan nasa 7 percent ang tinatayang paglago sa gross domestic product (GDP) ng Pilipinas sa tulong ng malakas na domestic demand.

Sa fourth quarter ng 2021, ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas ay lumago ng 7.7 percent year on year, kasunod ng 6.9 percent growth year on year sa third quarter sa kaparehong taon.

“For the Philippines, we are expecting rapid growth in 2022 due to further progress towards normalization of the economy,” ani Biswas, binigyang-diin na ang inaasahang malakas na economic growth ay sa likod ng private consumption at government infrastructure investments.

“A key factor that will improve the attractiveness of the Philippines economy over the next decade is the burgeoning size of the domestic consumer market,” sabi ni Biswas. “The Philippines is projected to become one of Asia’s USD one trillion economies by 2033, just over a decade ahead”.

Ayon kay Biswas, dahil dito ay makahihikayat ang Pilipinas ng mas maraming foreign direct investments at makaaakit ng bagong investment sa mga sector na tulad ng manufacturing at infrastructure.

“Foreign investors will increasingly focus on the opportunities created by the fast-growing domestic consumer market in the Philippines, in addition to its attractions as a hub for producing manufacturing exports such as electronics,” dagdag pa niya.

Sa isang statement kamakailan, iniulat ni Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua na ang full-year GDP noong nakaraang taon ay tumaas ng 5.6 percent, at nahigitan ang target ng Development Budget Coordination Committee na 5 hanggang 5.5 percent.

Katulad sa pagtaya ng IHS Markit, naniniwala si Secretary Chua na sa 2022 ay malalagpasan ang pre-pandemic level.