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The Philippines just received another vote of confidence on the way the administration of President Duterte is handling the economy.

S&P Global Ratings last week raised the Philippines’s sovereign credit rating by a notch to “BBB+” from “BBB” with a stable outlook. The Philippines earned the higher debt rating despite a blip in the economy when the inflation rate acted up toward the latter part of 2018.

Congratulations on your graduation. So, now what?

This is probably the question most graduates have to grapple with after the euphoria of graduation day has dissipated. After the graduation dinners and parties, graduates need to confront the uncertainty and excitement of the “real world.” That is not to say that life in schools and universities was not real. It just means that the challenges you will now face are greater and, in all likelihood, you need to navigate that world with a degree of autonomy.

Our economic managers have predicted that the Philippines is set to join the ranks of upper-middle-income economies this year on the back of sustained economic growth of above 6 percent, after being stuck in the lower-middle-income group for decades.