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Last Sunday, Sept. 4, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. left the country to embark on his first ever state visit as the Philippines’ chief diplomat. Or, as he mentioned in his departure speech “mangangapitbahay muna para sa ating bansa at para sa ating ekonomiya.” His first overseas trip will bring him to Indonesia and then to Singapore. And then, as I understand it from the announcement of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), PBBM will also fly to New York to speak before the United Nations General Assembly.

Investor confidence in the Philippines is unmistakably rising. Several factors support this—chief of which is the solid macro-economic fundamentals in place. Another major factor is the business-friendly policies of the Marcos government.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has submitted to Congress his first full budget for the fiscal year 2023. The total budget proposed by the new administration is ₱5.268 trillion and was described by DBM Chief Amenah F. Pangandaman as being “proactive and resilient…designed to withstand future risks, challenges and shocks.”