*  *  *  Distinguished partners and special guests from the private and government sectors, good morning. On behalf of the Monetary Board and my colleagues at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, I thank all of you for joining us today for our Stakeholders Awarding Ceremony and Appreciation Lunch. As you can tell, this event is important to us.
This is the time of the year when the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas honors its partners who provide outstanding support to our information and statistical requirements, as well as to our advocacy programs.