President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. underscored the need for an economically capable successor in 2028, stressing that the country’s next leader should prioritize nation-building over political divisions.
“Well, number one, somebody who understands economics,” Marcos said at the ASEAN Editors and Economic Opinion Leaders Forum in Makati City.
He pointed to job creation, inflation control, food security, and productivity growth as critical priorities, alongside reforms in education and healthcare.
Marcos warned that initiatives such as tax incentives and ease-of-doing-business measures risk being abandoned without a “like-minded president in 2028.”
He criticized what he described as a stop-start political culture, where new administrations often dismantle programs of their predecessors.
“The wonderful thing about being in the opposition is you don’t actually have to get anything to work. All you have to do is criticize,” he remarked.
The President emphasized that the country needs “nation builders” who genuinely want to improve the Philippines.
“We need to have nation builders. People who want to make the Philippines better. People who actually love the Philippines and love Filipinos and want to make things better,” he said.
Marcos noted that Vice President Sara Duterte is currently the only major political figure to publicly declare a 2028 presidential bid, though Malacañang maintained he remains focused on governance rather than succession politics.