Speech by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during the 2026 Government-Owned or Controlled Corporations’ (GOCCs’) Day

Thank you to our Executive Secretary, Secretary Ralph Recto, Finance Secretary Frederick Go, and the other honorable members of the Cabinet.

The Governance Commission for GOCC’s Chairperson, Attorney Marius Corpus, and the other officials of the GCG.

Oh, please take your seats, please.

Administrators, presidents, CEOs, and chairmen of government-owned or controlled corporations who are present here with us today, fellow workers in government, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, a good day to you all.

Today, as we commemorate the 2026 GEO.

A good day to all!

Today, as we commemorate the 2026 Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations’ (GOCCs) Day, we honor the institutions that have long served as vital partners in nation-building.

For decades now, our GOCCs have stood as paragons of progress, equity, and opportunity.

Pursuant to Republic Act No. 7656, or the Dividend Law, GOCCs are mandated to declare and remit at least fifty (50) percent of their annual net earnings as cash, stock, or property dividends to the National Government.

And every peso that you have remitted strengthens the government’s capacity to deliver better services without imposing additional tax burdens on ordinary Filipinos.

It is proof that sound governance and fiscal responsibility can create opportunities for our people while sparing them from bearing greater financial sacrifice.

Recognizing this, the Department of Finance encouraged our GOCCs to raise their dividend remittances to seventy-five (75) percent in 2024.

It was an ambitious target—one that demanded discipline, efficiency, and a strong commitment to the highest standards of public stewardship.

I am pleased that the response from our GOCCs has shown that such standards are within our reach.

As of this month, dividend collections have surpassed those of the previous year. We have received approximately one hundred thirty nine-point-eight (139.8) billion pesos from fifty (50) GOCCs.

These are resources that can build nearly forty thousand (39,943) classrooms for our children, provide around one hundred sixty five thousand (165,554) homes for Filipino families, or construct roughly eight thousand seven hundred (8,738) to nine thousand three hundred (9,320) kilometers of farm-to-market roads that connect our farmers and fisherfolk to markets.

Today, we also recognize the institutions that have demonstrated utmost standards of public service.

We commend the fifty (50) GOCCs that faithfully fulfilled their responsibilities, as well as the six GOCCs that participated in the GOCC Service Caravan from June 29 to June 30.

You have shown that government institutions can deliver with professionalism, produce meaningful results, and earn the trust of the Filipino people.

While some GOCCs are created to generate revenue and ensure financial sustainability, may you never lose sight of the reason you exist. Your foremost mandate is public service. Profit is never the end in itself; it is a means to better serve the Filipino people.

That is why I challenge every GOCC to continue modernizing your systems, embracing innovation, and eliminating inefficiencies wherever they may exists.

At the same time, let us remain steadfast in practicing fiscal discipline. Public resources must never be treated as privileges to be spent, but as responsibilities to be managed wisely, transparently, and intentionally.

For every decision we make ultimately affects the lives of our people. It is their trust that sustains our institutions, and it is our duty to prove ourselves worthy of that trust every single day.

Ladies and gentlemen, may this celebration renew our shared commitment to placing public service above

self-interest, nation above institution, and the welfare of every Filipino above all else.

Together, let us shape a GOCC sector that reflects the highest ideals of public service—one defined by honor, integrity, competence, and accountability.

Let us leave behind institutions that are stronger than we found them, so that future generations of Filipinos may inherit not only a better government, but a better nation.

Muli, maraming, maraming salamat sa inyong walang sawang paglilingkod at sa patuloy ninyong pagbibigay ng pag-asa sa bawat Pilipino.

Mabuhay po kayong lahat!

Mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas!

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