The structural reforms made in 2023 will have a “greater effect” in 2024, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Monday.

In a media interview in Tokyo, Marcos described 2023 as “the year of structural changes,” noting that the reforms are significant in the country’s recovery from all economic challenges left by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This 2023 was really the year of structural changes,” Marcos said, when asked to assess his performance for 2023 and what the goals of his administration are for the year to come.

“So, those structural changes were necessary because we have to remodel, or re-adjust rather, for example our fiscal policy, even our monetary policy, our spending policy, so that we are slowly moving or not so slowly, so, we’re moving away from the Covid economy,” he added.

Marcos said his administration has changed the structure of the different agencies by finding the “best people” for each of those positions.

Marcos expressed confidence that the government is heading in the “right direction,” adding that it will continue the modernization efforts in 2024.

“We will continue to modernize. Medyo obsolete na ‘yung ibang structure natin sa gobyerno (The structure in government is somehow obsolete) that we continue to modernize, we continue to be responsive to the new economy, that we position ourselves properly,” he said.

Asked for his goals and outlook for 2024, Marcos said reform initiatives will be continued to make sure that all Filipinos will feel the effects of the changes his administration has made.

“Again, we’re moving in the right direction. But if you ask me, I always say it’s too slow, it’s too slow, it’s too slow. So, we will just keep pushing and pushing and pushing para matapos lahat ito (to finish it all) so that we can start to feel the effects of those changes that we made,” he said.

“Now, those structural changes should start to –well, they already have but they will even have a greater effect in 2024 than they did in 2023,” he added. (PNA)