MANILA, Philippines—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday admitted that his camp was talking to individuals who could run as president in 2028. Participating in the fireside chat during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Assan)-Editors and Economic Opinion Leaders Forum in Makati City, Marcos said that Filipinos should elect a "like-minded president" in 2028, someone who does not think about politics, but how to make the Philippines better. Marcos said the next leader should be someone who understands how to keep inflation rate down, ensure adequate food supply, create jobs, make the people healthier, and fix the education system. "Somebody who understands economics, that's the first thing. Who understands how to create jobs, how to keep the inflation rate down, who understands how to make food supply a given, something that you can assume," he said. "And someone who thinks about productivity, because growth is about productivity. How do you make your working population more productive, how do you support them so they work better. How do you fix the education system, so they are better trained. How do you make sure that they are healthier, how do you make sure that they don't have to worry about food," he added. Marcos said that unlike his father who ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, most politicians today no longer talk about “nation building.” "Those are the kind of people that we need——the people who actually are thinking about, not politics but, how to make the country better," he said. "We need to have nation builders—people who want to make the Philippines better, people who actually love the Philippines and love Filipinos and want to make things better.” When asked if he had narrowed down his choices to two or three people, Marcos said, “You’re gonna get me into trouble.” He later admitted that he had “some people we are talking to in mind” but some of them said no. He added that although the field was not limited to those already in public service, it would not be wise to pick someone with “no government experience,” and that one option is to choose from among those in government “who are exceptional.” “It’s much harder to bring to a presidential level someone who has not been involved in politics. It happens but it’s not that easy, especially in the highly political atmosphere we have here. It’s not like they don’t like the person, it’s just that they don’t know who they are,” he said. “To build that up to presidential level is quite difficult.” Marcos, who has a little over two years left in his six-year term, said he would not be endorsing anyone soon, adding that “timing is everything.” Among the names that have been bandied about as possible administration candidates are Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon.