FORMER representative Joey Salceda did not mince words. He called Vice President Sara Duterte’s early announcement of a 2028 presidential run “a misguided gamble” and “ill-advised,” adding that it “leaves a bad taste in the mouth.”
And from someone who pushed for a Sara presidency in 2022 and eventually supported her vice presidential bid, Salceda’s disapproval of her action deserves to be taken seriously. His point was simple: It is too early — and it risks distracting the country from more urgent work.
While running for president is her right, the problem is timing.
When top leaders start campaigning years ahead of the election, politics heats up too soon. Rival camps mobilize. Public debate shifts to personalities. Government energy slowly moves away from policy work and toward political positioning.
As an economist, Salceda is keenly aware that investors watch these signals closely. When politics becomes noisy and uncertain, businesses hold back. Projects slow down. Growth can weaken.
At a time when families are still coping with high prices and job uncertainty, early political moves can send the wrong message: that power games are taking priority over the real issues affecting the ordinary Filipino.
Now compare that to what is happening at the House of Representatives. Instead of talking about 2028, the House leadership has been steadfastly pushing key Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) priority bills — measures that directly affect education, land use, social protection and governance.
Two major Ledac bills have already cleared their main committees and were recently approved by the committee on appropriations.
First: The Presidential Merit Scholarship Program, which ensures that academically outstanding students — especially those without means — have stable government support that does not depend on changing priorities.
For ordinary families, this means real opportunity. A smart child from a poor household gets a clear path to college support. That is not politics — that is investment in the future workforce. That is an investment in the country’s future.
Second: The National Land Use Act, which aims to create a national framework for managing land resources, reduce conflicts among agencies and require consultations from regions down to cities and municipalities.
Land use affects food security, housing, environmental protection and even disaster resilience. Clear land rules mean fewer delays in housing projects, infrastructure and agricultural development.
Beyond these two, the appropriations panel is set to deliberate on other Ledac priorities, including:
– Modernization of the Bureau of Immigration.
– Creation of an Independent People’s Commission.
– Amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
– Amendments to the 4Ps Law.
– Amendments to the Magna Carta for MSMEs.
– Resetting the date of BARMM elections.
Along with resetting the schedule of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) polls, three other key measures were endorsed in the recent Ledac meeting under the Common Legislative Agenda: abolition of the travel tax; the bill against fake news and digital disinformation; and the Expanded Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children, and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act of 2026.
Even more telling: 12 out of 52 Ledac priority measures have already been approved on third and final reading at the House.
This is what economic stability looks like — steady legislative work.
Why does this matter for growth?
Because laws create confidence. When scholarship programs are institutionalized, human capital improves. When land use is clarified, infrastructure and agriculture move faster. When micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are strengthened, small businesses expand. When the 4Ps program is fine-tuned, social protection becomes more efficient.
All of these feed into economic momentum. Investors prefer governments that focus on policy delivery, not early campaign season. Markets reward predictability. They punish political uncertainty.
Salceda’s warning, therefore, is not about silencing ambition. It is about sequencing. Campaigns belong in campaign season. Governance belongs in the present.
Right now, the country’s growth trajectory depends on passing reforms, not floating candidacies. Filipinos need cheaper food, better schools, stronger small businesses and stable jobs. These come from laws — not slogans.
If leaders want to win in 2028, the surest path is simple: Deliver results in 2026.
Politics can wait. The people cannot.
