Senator Poe's text response to media query re GDP:

Economic growth may be at its highest since 1988 but let's not lose sight of the fact that still, it isn't back to prepandemic levels.

We may have grown by 11.8 percent from the 17-percent contraction of last year but that's nothing to brag about because much of it is base effect.

What our people need urgently now is for the government to spend their tax money on the health sector by paying the hospitals and our healthcare workers, while protecting and creating jobs.

Let's keep our people safe and ensure that there will be food on their table. Then and only then can these growth numbers mean anything.