Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Monday clarified that his assertion saying Filipinos ought to bear extra youngsters to decrease the nation’s debt per capita was taken out of context.
In a telephone interview with Senate reporters, Dela Rosa mentioned he was solely quoting different folks when he instructed financial managers that having extra youngsters to extend the inhabitants will divide the nation’s debt amongst extra folks.
“I was taken out of context, without malice or without intention or unintentionally taken out of context. I was quoting somebody,” Dela Rosa mentioned.
As of end-June 2023, the nation’s sovereign debt amounted to a recent document excessive of P14.15 trillion.
During final week’s Senate Committee on Finance briefing on the 2024 National Expenditure Program, Dela Rosa was quoted saying: “’Yung simpleng pinobre na pag-iisip, ang anak nila mas marami para yung per capita debt natin baba, the bigger the population mas maraming maghahati hati sa utang.”
(Those with a easy mentality say that the extra youngsters they’ve, the decrease debt can be per capita. With an even bigger inhabitants, extra can pay the debt.)
Dela Rosa careworn that such a suggestion was solely from different folks, and never his.
“Hindi. Sinabi ko nga narinig ko. Sinasabi ng mababa na tao na ganun answer. ‘Di ganun ang solution ko, ang babaw naman ng pagtingin nila sa atin kung ganun,” he said.
(No, I only heard that. Simple-minded people say that is the solution. That’s not my solution. The people’s notion of me is shallow if that is the case.)
For his half, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno took Dela Rosa’s comment calmly, saying he was simply joking.
“Kung kaya mong buhayin, pag-aralin, why not ‘di ba (If you can raise them, send them to school, why not)?” Diokno said as to having more children. “But you have to assess your resources,” he added.
Dela Rosa also expressed concern about the country’s rising debt, however mentioned the chief financial supervisor has assured that there’s no have to panic.
“Ako ay nababahala sa debt natin kaya tinanong ko sila. Sabi ko, in order to appease the people, okay lang ba sabihin na wag mag-panic utang lang yan. Sabi ni Sec. Diokno, ‘di raw tayo dapat mag-panic, our economy is still robust and healthy compared to other countries,” he mentioned.
(I used to be involved about our debt so I requested them. I mentioned, with a purpose to appease the folks, is it okay to inform them to not panic, it is only a debt. Sec. Diokno mentioned we should always not panic, our economic system continues to be strong and wholesome in comparison with different nations.)
Diokno had maintained that the present debt state of affairs of the nation is just not worrisome and it’s nonetheless manageable because the borrowing association that the Philippines entered into has fastened rates of interest which suggests the curiosity won’t enhance whatever the standing of the economic system.
He mentioned 60% of the nation’s gross home product is “reasonable” and that the borrowings had fastened rates of interest as an alternative of floating. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
