IPINAHAYAG ng Japanese debt watcher Rating and Investment Information Inc. (R&I) na napanatili o naging ‘stable’ BBB+ rating nito sa bansa.
Ayon sa R&I na maayos na nagampanan at naaksyunan ng Pilipinas ang ekonomiya ng bansa sa kabila ng COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Philippines’ economy suffered a severe contraction due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 but is expected to recover primarily through aggressive public investment, which had driven the economy in the past several years. Fiscal and monetary policies will boost growth for some time,” pahayag ng R&I.
Nagpahayag din si Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez ukol sa BBB+ stable rating ng bansa.
“R&I has apparently taken notice that although the global fight against the pandemic has proven to be a costly one, the country’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals ahead of the pandemic have enabled the government to accelerate spending on urgent and necessary programs to save lives and keep the economy afloat.”
“With a manageable debt profile, a steady revenue stream brought about by tax reform, and the continued practice of fiscal prudence, the government is confident it will not run out of resources in waging the protracted battle against the Covid-19 crisis,” ani Dominguez.
Aniya, tulad ng pagkilala ng R&I, nakatuon ang gobyerno sa mga natitirang reporma sa socioeconomic agenda nito kahit na mananatiling abala sa hamon ng pandemya, at ang resolusyong ito ay makatutulong sa pagbabalik ng bansa sa mas mataas pa na rating.
Para kay Dominguez, ang pangako ng administrasyong Duterte sa repormasyon na mabawi ang economic reform ay napatunayan nito, ito ang pagpapatupad ng mga hakbang sa stimulus measures tulad ng CREATE (Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises) at FIST (Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer), pati na rin ang pagpupumilit nito para sa mga panukalang batas na madaling gawin ang pagpupuhunan na nakabinbin sa Kongreso, tulad ng panukalang pag-amyenda sa Public Service Act (PSA), Retail Trade Liberalization Act (RTLA), at Foreign Investments Act (FIA).
Tinanggap din ni Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno ang naging desisyon ng R&I.
“The Philippines once again earned an important vote of confidence on its ability to bounce back from the COVID-19 crisis, with R&I’s affirmation of the country’s BBB+ rating with a ‘stable’ outlook. With the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, the tail-end of the crisis is proving to be extra challenging. Nevertheless, we do not see a permanent dent on our macroeconomic fundamentals, and we can head back to our growth path post-Covid,” ani Diokno.
Ayon sa R&I, sa kabila ng paggastos ng gobyerno at deficit sa budget dulot ng pandemya, ay napanatili ng bansa na pamahalaan ito.
Sa kabila ng negatibong global rating ng Pilipinas sa pagresponde sa pandemya, nagawa pa rin ma-maintain ng bansa ang investment grade credit ratings nito sa regional at international debt watchers.
Ang pabor na assessment ng R&I at iba pang credit rating agencies, ay nagpapatunay na may kakayahan ang Pilipinas sa pag-access sa financing sa mababang halaga at maaari rin na makapag-raise ng funds ang gobyerno para sa COVID-19 response programs sa mababang interest rates.
