MANILA, Philippines – NANAWAGAN si Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sa mga lider ng Asia-Pacific na gawing central pillar ng economic recovery ang gender equality.
Inilarawan ito hindi lamang bilang isang “moral imperative” kundi isang “smart economics.”
“To be truly connected and resilient, we must also strategically invest in our people, especially in women and youth, who are important players in ensuring social and economic stability,” ang sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos sa isinagawang APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting sa Hwabaek International Convention, sa GYEONGJU, South Korea, araw ng Biyernes.
“Closing the gender gap, as our experience shows, is not only a matter of fairness; it is smart economics. Empowering women to participate fully in the economy could add as much as USD28 trillion to global GDP (gross domestic product),” ayon sa Pangulo.
Hinikayat naman ng Pangulo ang mga ekonomista na kagyat na gumawa ng konkretong aksyon para tugunan ang gender pay gaps at upang magawa ang ganap na partisipasyon ng mga kababaihan bilang manggagawa.
Sa kabilang dako, binigyang diin ni Pangulong Marcos ang kahalagahan ng pagtatayo ng napapanatiling digital infrastructure at pangalagaan ang isang future-ready workforce upang matiyak ang pantay na oprtunidad sa fast-changing global economy.
Tinukoy ng Pangulo ang naging karanasan ng Pilipinas bilang isa sa ilang bansa sa Asya na “with near parity in educational attainment and a growing share of women in management roles, saying APEC must sustain this progress through policy and collaboration.”
“Empowering women and MSMEs, “will unlock the full potential of the private sector while ensuring inclusivity,” ayon kay Pangulong Marcos. Kris Jose
