PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. has done an impressive job in his first year in office, providing the country with a steady and reliable leadership in the face of difficult challenges, according to a lawmaker.

“The President buckled down to work and took the bull by the horns, so to speak,” said Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., a stalwart of the National Unity Party (NUP).

Barzaga said the Chief Executive was also able to restore decency in public office, pointing out that the Chief Executive “has always comported himself with dignity, exuding confidence.”

The senior lawmaker said Marcos Jr. has been a “consummate professional who has never let emotions get the better of him.”

“I like how the President carries himself.

He was humble enough to give himself an “incomplete” grade in his first year while being firm in saying that it’s best to take things in stride as the country is getting back on its feet post-pandemic,” Barzaga said.

The Cavite congressman said the President has also helped the country regain respect in the international community, especially since he, being a Marcos, is a household name.

He said the Chief Executive promoted the country as an investment destination in his foreign trips, where he also forged closer diplomatic and economic ties with other nations, especially the United States.

Barzaga also cited as one of the huge accomplishments of the administration the further slowing down of headline inflation rates to 6.1 percent last May.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the main driver of the lower inflation rates was a decline in costs of transportation, food and non-alcoholic beverages, and restaurants and accommodations.

“Among the 13 commodity groups, the downtrend of the headline inflation in May 2023 was primarily brought about by the annual decline in the index of transport at -0.5 percent from a 2.6 percent annual increase in the previous month.

The heavily-weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages also pulled down the overall inflation during the month with a lower inflation rate of 7.4 percent from 7.9 percent in April 2023,” PSA said in its report.

Barzaga also noted that the economy grew by 7.6 percent and 7.2 percent in the third and fourth quarters of 2022 and 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 2023, which is well within the government’s target.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has said that among major emerging economies in the region that have so far released their first quarter 2023 real GDP growth rates, “the Philippines grew the fastest, followed by Indonesia (5.0 percent), China (4.5 percent), and Vietnam (3.3 percent).

NEDA said the country’s growth “is also more rapid” than the forecasted first quarter growth rates for Malaysia (4.9 percent), India (4.6 percent), and Thailand (2.8 percent).

“The Marcos Jr. administration is doing something right. We just have to remain on track and ensure that this growth is trickling down to the grassroots level,” Barzaga said.