(CHRISTIAN DALE)
MABAGAL ang naging paglago ng ekonomiya ng bansa sa first quarter ng taon.
Sa ulat ng Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), tinuran nito ang ekonomiya na “Its slowest footing since the country exited the pandemic-induced recession in the middle of 2021”.
“The economy, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) or the total value of goods and services produced in a specific period, grew by 6.4% during the January to March 2023,” ayon pa rin sa PSA.
Lumalabas na mas mabagal ito kumpara sa 8% growth rate na nakita noong first quarter ng taong 2022 at mas mababa sa sinasabing “downwardly revised” na 7.1% na paglago na naitala sa fourth quarter ng 2022.
“Ito din ang pinakamababang paglago matapos ang pitong quarter nang magsimula ang pagbangon ng bansa mula sa pandemiya noong ikalawang quarter ng 2021,” ayon kay National Statistician Dennis Mapa.
“The economy was pulled out of recession in the second quarter of 2021 with a GDP growth rate of 12%,” aniya pa rin.
Habang naging mabagal ang economic growth print ng bansa sa first quarter, year-on-year at quarter-on-quarter, sinabi ni National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, “we need to exercise caution in interpreting this as a slowdown since the previous year’s growth came from a low base.”
“Rather, the economy is normalizing its previous trend,” ani Balisacan.
Sa inaasahang external headwinds at pagbagal sa major advanced economies, binawasan ng economic managers ng administrasyong Marcos ang kanilang economic growth projection para sa 2023 ng 6.0% hanggang 7.0% range mula sa nauna nitong forecast na 6.5% hanggang 8.0%.
Gayunpaman, inilarawan ni Balisacan ang first quarter performance bilang “better-than-expected” at nagpapakita rin aniya ng pagbalik sa high-growth trajectory sa kabila ng mga balakid.
“However, we have much more work to do to realize our social and economic transformation agenda toward a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient Philippines,” aniya pa rin.
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