NAKAMIT ng Lungsod ng Maynila ang pinakamataas na Gross Domestic Product (GDP) na umabot sa halos P1 trilyon batay sa pinakahuling ulat ng Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Ayon kay Mayor Honey Lacuna, dahil sa GDP na P987.88 bilyon, ang Lungsod ng Maynila ang lumalabas na pangatlo sa may pinakamalakas na ekonomiya sa mga lungsod sa Metro Manila batay na rin sa ulat ng PSA.

Resulta aniya ito ng kanilang pagtutulungan sa Pamahalaang Lungsod, pati na ng napakaraming trabaho at pagnenegosyo.

“Manila achieved nearly P1 trillion in economic output despite having mostly MSMEs and traditional retail and services activities. We have a very strong MSME sector here in the capital city. This GDP output is a strong baseline and springboard for future economic growth,” paliwanag ni Lacuna.

Nakakolekta ang Maynila ng P16.9 bilyon sa kita pa lamang ng lungsod at may P4.258 bilyon sa inilalaang buwis ng pambansang pamahalaan sa taong 2023 kaya’t may kabuuang kit na P22.2 bilyon..

“Looking forward, we aim to modernize the economy of Manila by future proofing it against other pandemics and calamities. More of our MSMEs must be able to transact online, use QR codes, deliver products and services beyond their store premises. These ways, Manila’s economy will keep moving even if the movements of people are limited,” pananaw pa ng alkalde.

“Note that Manila’s GDP size is about 3 times that of Parañaque, which grew the fastest in NCR. Manila’s growth rate of 2.2 percent only seems small in percentage terms because it has a larger base number. Parañaque has a smaller base number of P343.17 billion. Comparing Manila’s P987.88 billion economy to Paranaque’s P343.17 billion economy based only on growth rate is like comparing an apple to an orange,” paliwanag pa ni Lacuna.

“Though our growth rate is only 2.2 percent from 2022 to 2023. But that was mainly because Manila was most badly affected in NCR by the pandemic. Our city economy is more dependent on people traffic, so when the lockdowns were implemented, our city economy was at a standstill. The other cities had more land area and more production activities not dependent on people traffic, so they grew faster and recovered faster,” dagdag pa niya.

Sa datus ng PSA hamak na mas Malaki ang GDP ng Maynila kumpara sa pinagsamasamang GDP ng Caloocan, Malabon, Valenzuela, San Juan, Las Piñas, Pateros, at Marikina.

Mas Malaki rin ang GDP ng Maynila kahit pa pagsama-samahin ang GDP ng Mandaluyong, Parañaque, at Muntinlupa.