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My daughter Camille, who represents the legislative district of Las Piñas City and who is also the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, recently filed a bill designating November as “Buy Pinoy, Build Pinoy Month.” But House Bill 5682 is more than appropriating a particular month to celebrate Filipino products. It does not pay lip service to Filipino-made products nor does it promote economic nationalism.

Rising interest rates tend to be a precursor of an economic slowdown. A tool to curb surging inflation, higher interest rates in the long run may lead to stable prices, albeit at a cost of sacrificing growth in general. Economic managers, thus, must find the delicate balance between preserving the growth momentum and tempering rising inflation.

The Russia-Ukraine war and surging prices are not slowing down Philippine economic growth despite some doomsayers in our midst.


The economy expanded 7.6 percent in the third quarter of 2022, beating expectations by some market analysts. The growth is the first registered under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and judging from other key economic indicators that came out last week, the Philippine economy is poised to expand further in the last quarter and weather the external headwinds coming our way.