Nanawagan si Senador Loren Legarda ng masusing pagsusuri sa paraan ng paglago ng bansa matapos lumabas ang datos ng ekonomiya na nagpapakita ng paghina ng paglago. Umabot lamang sa 3 percent ang paglago ng gross domestic product (GDP) sa ikaapat na quarter, na siyang pinakamabagal na quarterly expansion sa halos 15 taon, maliban sa panahon ng pandemya. Ang kabuuang paglago ng 2025 ay 4.4 percent, pinakamababa mula 2011 at mababa sa target ng pamahalaan.

Bilang tugon, binawasan ng Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) ang medium-term revenue projections hanggang 2028, dahil sa mabagal na momentum ng pamumuhunan at limitadong fiscal space. Ang inaasahang kita ay P4.824 trillion sa 2026 mula sa dating P4.983 trillion, P5.122 trillion sa 2027 mula sa P5.366 trillion, at P5.568 trillion sa 2028 mula sa P5.914 trillion.

“These economic figures must be understood in context,” sabi ni Legarda. “They invite us to reflect on whether our development strategies are responding effectively to today’s realities.”

Ayon kay Legarda, maraming taon ng paglago ay nakasalalay sa malalaking infrastructure projects tulad ng kalsada, flood control, at reclamation. Ngunit ang mga pagkukulang sa pamamahala ay nagdudulot ng panganib sa ganitong uri ng pamumuhunan. “These challenges affect the entire economy,” dagdag niya. “They influence logistics, food prices, local enterprise growth, education outcomes, and household incomes, and in doing so, they shape the country’s capacity to recover and sustain growth.”

Binanggit ng senador na may umiiral nang alternatibo para sa sustainable development. “We do not need to start from zero. We have laws that embed sustainability and resilience into the core of economic planning,” ayon kay Legarda. Kabilang sa mga batas na kanyang pinangunahan ang Clean Air Act, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, Renewable Energy Act, Climate Change Act, People’s Survival Fund, Environmental Awareness and Education Act, at PENCAS law.

“These laws represent more than environmental protection, they outline a viable economic alternative where fiscal discipline, investment stability, and human development reinforce each other,” paliwanag niya. Pinagsasama ng PENCAS ang natural capital at ecosystem services sa national accounts para makita ang gastos ng environmental degradation at ang benepisyo ng konserbasyon sa hinaharap.

Itinampok din ni Legarda ang inklusyon at inobasyon bilang pundasyon ng paglago. Kabilang dito ang Magna Carta for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises at Philippine Innovation Act na sumusuporta sa mga lokal na negosyo at nagtataguyod ng innovation-driven growth.

Pinayuhan din niya ang kaugnayan ng edukasyon at economic resilience. Tinukoy niya ang 2026 commission findings sa learning outcomes at skills mismatch bilang “wake-up call” para sa mga policymakers. “Economic planning and education reform must move in tandem. Unless we invest in human growth, progress will remain uneven and fragile,” sabi ni Legarda. Binanggit din niya ang kanyang ambag sa pagpasa ng Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, UniFAST Act, at ARAL Program Act. “Education is intrinsically linked to labor and the development of a strong, competitive workforce,” dagdag niya.

“As our economic planners revisit assumptions and chart the country’s medium-term path,” sabi ni Legarda, “we must move away from growth that excludes and toward development that uplifts every sector of society. This means ensuring that every peso spent translates to stronger communities, better learning, and decent livelihoods.”