Business leaders: ‘PH is tired of politics’
THE Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) calls for a clear agenda to address rising living costs and ongoing market challenges, saying Filipinos want the Marcos administration to shift its focus from politics to economic recovery.
MAP, an organization composed of top-level executives and business leaders from various industries in the country, urged the government to use this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) to move beyond political issues and focus on delivering concrete economic results.
“The country is tired of politics,” MAP President Donald Lim said in a Philstar report.
Lim noted that Filipinos continue to struggle with high costs while businesses face uncertainty and persistent market pressures.
Lim said the government should strengthen accountability and pursue anti-corruption efforts without slowing economic growth.
He added the priority should now be turning reforms into tangible outcomes that can restore investor confidence and strengthen the country’s economic resilience.
“It is time to bring the conversation back to creating jobs, attracting investments, stabilizing food prices and improving the daily lives of our people,” Lim said.
MAP said the exposure of the flood control controversy was an important first step in showing the government’s commitment to accountability.
However, the group stressed that efforts to combat corruption should not come at the expense of economic development.
“Infrastructure projects that are legitimate, transparent and urgently needed should continue moving. Likewise, continued investments in health care and education are critical,” Lim said.
He added: “Delaying public spending has its own economic cost through lost jobs, delayed investments and slower growth. The solution is not to stop building, but to build with greater transparency, stronger oversight and modern digital tools.”.MAP is also pushing for the passage of the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability Act, which seeks to create a digital portal providing public access to government budget and spending transactions.
The group also supports other proposed measures, including the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill, the Party-List System Reform Act, and the Independent People’s Commission Act. (Mary Elaine Virtucio, UP Cebu Comm Intern)