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We have a sound banking system that continues to fuel economic growth despite talks of contagion from the collapse of several banks in the United States and Europe.

Our economy grew at a robust pace of 7.6 percent in 2022, and is expected to sustain the momentum going into 2023 as business activities pick up as a result of greater mobility.

Many know me as a public servant and an entrepreneur. I spent 21 years of my life in government serving both as Senate President and Speaker of Representatives, accomplishments which I am extremely proud of. And I have been an entrepreneur all my life — starting with the time I helped my mother sell shrimps and fish in the market up to today as I continue to guide our family business into the future.

The concern shown by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for our fishermen last week made me emotional and nostalgic about my early childhood. His plan to put up nearly a dozen cold storage facilities in several parts of the nation to reduce the high spoilage in the catch of Filipino fishermen is very timely. It is a shot in the arm that our fishermen need in this high inflationary regime.