Pres. Aquino Invites APEC Delegates to Visit PHL Beaches

(PNA) – President Benigno Aquino IV invited on Thursday the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers Meeting delegates to take time to visit the Philippines’ pristine beaches, particularly in Cebu.

”I hope you can take time off your busy schedules to enjoy its pristine beaches, its vibrant metropolis, and most importantly its people, who are living proof that it is indeed more fun in the Philippines,” the President said in his speech at the APEC Finance Ministers’ welcome event in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

”On another note, I hope that, apart from my welcome, you will be able to feel the warm welcome of the Cebuano people, who are renowned for their musicality and hospitality,” he added.

Composed of 7,100 islands, the Philippines is gifted with some of the world’s best beaches including the famous Boracay Island in Aklan province.

President Aquino took the opportunity to report the country’s achievements that his administration has achieved “regardless of the seeming magnitude of the challenge.”

The President said from day one of his administration, he made sure that focus was to fight corruption and put the money on the projects that will benefit every Filipino.

”We relentlessly pursued all those who had committed wrongdoing, regardless of their wealth or influence; we revamped our budgeting system and exercised fiscal prudence, making sure that taxpayer money is spent prudently, conscientiously, and judiciously on projects and programs that truly benefit our people,” President Aquino said.

The President said his government cut red tape that “made it easier for investors to bet on the Filipino people.”

He also highlighted the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program which has been expanded from 800,000 to 4.4 million households, covering about 20 million beneficiaries.

”Our resolve began to reap results much faster than expected. One look at the figures tells a complete story: From 2010 to 2014, we posted a GDP growth rate of 6.2%, which marks the fastest period of economic growth for our country in four decades,” the President said.

During his administration alone, the President said the country received 22 positive credit rating actions from the international credit rating firms.

”The most prominent among these occurred in 2013, when the world’s most prominent credit ratings agencies unanimously declared the Philippines’ investment grade,” he said.

The President also said under his administration, the Philippines moved from 85th to 52nd in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index, from 144th to 95th in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report, among many other indices.

”This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Philippine Story. I have chosen to share it with you to illustrate that, regardless of the seeming magnitude of the challenge, progress can be achieved sooner rather than later — especially if we work with solidarity, coherence, and integrity,” the President said.

”Of course, achieving this on a regional level will entail a greater amount of work, cooperation, and time; but my optimism is shaped by my experience of how a group with a unified sense of purpose can accelerate our shared journey towards prosperity,” he added. (PNA) SCS/JFM