Hope for the new year

I'd like to carry with me a message of hope at the start of this new year 2025.

- ATTY. MIKE TOLEDO

The Roman Catholic Church itself has declared 2025 as a Jubilee Year with the motto "Pilgrims of Hope," to "foster a sense of global sisterhood and brotherhood, solidarity with the poor, and caring for the environment."

Our chairman, president and CEO at Metro Pacific Investments Corp. Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP), himself a Papal awardee, recently sent out his New Year's message expressing hope and optimism for this year, stating that 2025 is "another new year with new hopes, fresh starts, and renewed optimism..."

MVP also said that this year he wished for a better Philippines "where people's lives should be improved with more jobs created with more investments; where businesses can work together amongst themselves and with government in lifting the welfare of our people."

He also emphasized the critical importance of collaboration between businesses and the government to uplift the nation. MVP highlighted the need to define and align economic priorities for the next four years. Clear articulation of these economic goals, he said, is essential for driving sustained growth and development.

MVP extended his best wishes to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos for the new year.

"I wish the President, and the First Lady all the very best and bid them both Godspeed and God bless," he said in closing.

At the start of last year, it was identified that the Philippines was facing an energy crisis with the expected depletion of the Malampaya natural gas fields which supplies 30 percent of Luzon energy consumption. Add to that the ever-increasing population and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the demand and it looks like the energy sector would be facing challenging times.