Secretary's Corner
HON.
HERMOGENES EDEJER EBDANE, JR.
Message:
OUR TIME TO GET THE JOB DONE
DELP Convention
2008
14 November 2008.
Cebu City
Good morning to
all the District Engineers of the Philippines here present, as well
as the other guests and participants today.
I thank you for
your invitation to speak before you, once again, during your annual
national convention.
If memory serves
me right, this has become an annual tradition between us. I hope
that we can continue this interaction, even on the ground.
While our tasks
remain unchanged, and our direction is to focus on accomplishing our
targets, there are changes that impact greatly on the work that we
do.
Much has happened
in the 12 months that have elapsed since your national convention in
Davao City.
The global
economy has gone from stable to critical; first-world countries are
scrambling to salvage previously unshakeable financial institutions;
and the first black American President has been elected.
Closer to home,
gasoline prices have gone down to more affordable levels, public
works projects are being subjected to Senate investigations and the
DPWH budget for 2009 will be well over the P100 billion mark.
What do all these
developments mean for our country, and more importantly, for our
work.
On one hand, it
must be said that we are not strangers to sudden changes in fortune.
This is why
despite the global repercussions, the Philippines, as with most of
the Asean Region, stands unfazed by the potential hard times.
You and I and the
rest of the 80 million Filipinos have gone through that before, and
we are still around.
It must also be
said that having an economist, and a good one at that, as our leader
has made a world of difference for us, both locally and
internationally.
President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo has kept her eye on the economy even as she tackled
every other challenges that has come her way. And we are reaping
the rewards of her vigilance and her discipline on fiscal measures
and systemic innovations.
Our financial
managers are confident that the impact on the Philippines will be
manageable.
Credit is given
to the sound fundamentals which have come about as a result of
learning from the debacles of old, and following a well-laid plan to
strengthen the economic structures.
|
