President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will choose a nation-builder as his preferred successor when his term ends, the Palace said Thursday, days after the Chief Executive disclosed that he had approached personalities about the 2028 presidential elections.

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro reiterated the President’s position during a briefing.

“Someone who has love for the country is needed, but love for the country is not enough. Competence to lead is needed, has the wit, and capacity to resolve problems in education, arming Filipinos with knowledge and skills,” she said in Filipino.

Castro added that the President believes the country needs a leader who will pursue structural reforms to make the Philippines more investment-friendly and push changes in education, health care and social benefits that all Filipinos can access.

She said future leadership must go beyond rhetoric and focus on genuine public service, underscoring integrity, competence and a sincere commitment to nation-building.

“In other words, the next Philippine leader should be a nation builder, and not pretentious,” Castro noted.

“The President believes that if the next leader does not have these attributes, all the hard work the government for the people will go to waste,” she added.

During the ASEAN Editors and Economic Opinion Leaders Forum in Makati City this week, Marcos said he would prefer the next president to be someone who understands economics, stressing that leadership must focus on productivity.

He said the next leader should think about productivity “because growth is about productivity.”

At the same time, the next president should be somebody “who understands how to create jobs, how to keep the inflation rate down, and how to make food supply stable,” he said.

Castro repeatedly clarified that the President has not yet chosen the administration’s standard-bearer, noting that he remains focused on strengthening the economy.

So far, only Sara Duterte has publicly signified her intention to run for president in 2028.