Manila: Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Alfredo 'Pido' Garbin Jr. on Tuesday called on fellow lawmakers and national leaders to redirect the country's attention from political conflicts toward addressing the urgent economic challenges confronting ordinary Filipinos.
According to Philippines News Agency, Garbin emphasized that the Filipino people are growing weary of endless political controversies while grappling with rising prices, unemployment, and economic uncertainty. He expressed concern over signs of economic stagnation amid rising costs of living, noting that 'issues such as food prices, electricity rates, and employment opportunities' deserve greater national attention than political disputes.
Garbin called for a 'renewed focus on key sectors critical to national development, including agriculture, energy, employment generation, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), tourism, infrastructure, education, technology, healthcare, housing, transportation, water services, and social protection programs.' He also stressed the importance of strengthening the country's agricultural sector to achieve food security, lowering energy costs to attract investments and create jobs, and providing stronger support to MSMEs, which, he said, is the true engine of the Philippine economy.
'No nation has ever risen on imported rice and borrowed dignity,' Garbin said as he underscored the need to modernize agriculture and support Filipino farmers and fisherfolk. The Bicolano representative also highlighted the importance of political stability in encouraging investments and economic growth. 'No investor places capital in chaos. Stability is the cheapest incentive we can offer, and yet it is the one we squander most,' he said.
While acknowledging the constitutional role of Congress in conducting investigations and ensuring accountability, Garbin cautioned against allowing political battles to overshadow governance and economic priorities. 'There is a difference between accountability and obsession. There is a difference between vigilance and vendetta, and there is a difference between cleansing a republic and consuming it,' he said.
He also emphasized that excessive political conflict ultimately affects ordinary workers, entrepreneurs, and families who bear the consequences of weakened investor confidence and stalled economic progress. Calling for unity across political lines, Garbin urged lawmakers to remember their shared responsibility 'to serve the Filipino people above partisan interests.'
'Let history not remember this Congress as the one that perfected political combat while pesos crumbled,' he said. 'Let it be instead said that in a moment of national turbulence, Filipinos in this chamber be remembered that they were Filipinos first.'
