VP Sara on Q4 economic rebound: 'Nananaginip nang gising'

Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday rejected the administration’s projection that the Philippine economy could recover by the fourth quarter of 2025, saying such optimism is unrealistic amid key economic headwinds.

“Nananaginip nang gising,” Duterte said when asked about predictions of recovery. “Kung sino man nagsasabi na makakarecover ang ekonomiya by 4th quarter of this year, nananaginip nang gising—wala ’yan sa tamang pag-iisip talaga.”

(Must be daydreaming. Whoever said the economy would recover by 4th quarter of this year is daydreaming ... maybe out of his mind.)

Duterte attributed the plunge of the peso and weak investor flows to a deeper problem of confidence.

“Loss of confidence sa ating bansa at ’yong walang investments na pumapasok sa ating bansa,” she said.

(Loss of confidence to our country ... no investments are coming in to our country.)

In response to this, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said there have been corruption issues even during the Duterte administration, as she mentioned the alleged anomalies in the flood control master plan of Cebu. 

''Sa ekonomiya. Tandaan po natin, inamin po natin na naaapektuhan ang economic growth, bakit? Dahil sa marami pong naging kalamidad at may issue din po patungkol dito sa korupsiyon. At tandaan po natin, ang korupsiyon na ito ay hindi lang sa panahon ngayon – panahon pa po noong nakaraang administrasyon. Hinahanap pa po ang 33.5 billion pesos na patungkol po sa flood control masterplan sa Cebu o Metro Cebu. Isa po ito na dapat imbestigahan. Nakaka-cause din po ito sa ating ekonomiya,'' Castro said.

She said former President Rodrigo Duterte also admitted that there were ghost projects during his administration.

''Maraming anomalya na dapat nating malaman pati iyong mga ghost projects sa inamin naman ng dating Pangulong Duterte. So, lahat ng kalat noong nakaraan ngayon po natin nililinis at malamang isa ito sa nagiging dahilan kung bakit nagkakaroon po nang hindi magandang epekto ito sa ekonomiya. But ang pangako ng Pangulo, gagawin ang lahat, pati ang Economic Team gagawin lahat para po mapaangat pa ang ekonomiya ng bansa,'' she said.

Earlier, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. expressed confidence that despite recent setbacks — including the peso hitting a record low and sluggish GDP growth in the third quarter — the economy would rebound by year-end. 

He cited accelerated public spending and strategic interventions as the basis for his optimism. 

Duterte made the comments during an ambush interview at the 90th anniversary celebration of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in Makati on Friday. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News