Reflections on 2025

Here we are again... at the end of an old year and on the cusp of a new one. I have always approached this time of year with a reflective attitude.

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For me, it's an auspicious time to look back on the year that passed - the successes and the setbacks, the moments that lifted us up and those that weighed us down. It's also a chance to think about how we might do better in the year ahead.

The year 2025 was particularly challenging for me. Sickness plagued my family and at one point, I nearly lost my closest brother. I am grateful he survived, but the road ahead is long. His journey towards full rehabilitation will test his body and spirit as well as the patience of the family.

This was also the year my only daughter chose to live independently. She moved out of our home to build a life of her own. While my wife and I admire her strength and tenacity, the transition was not easy.

We are proud of her, but we still feel the emptiness her absence left behind.

Beyond my personal challenges, the state of our country weighed heavily on me, as it did on millions of Filipinos. President Marcos' failure to enact meaningful structural reforms stalled the economy. I am fully aware that I talk about this every week. It just goes to show how much this pains me, as it should all of us. This is the time the economy should be booming, given our demographic advantage. President Marcos is squandering this advantage and, by extension, quashed our dreams of having a truly competitive economy. After three consecutive years (and counting) of below-target growth, the national ambition of becoming a high-income economy by 2040 has slipped out of reach.