The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) admitted that the government needs to recalibrate its recovery plan following the sharp contraction in the second-quarter GDP that plunged the country into recession.

Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the Philippines needs to rebalance its priorities by not only focusing on saving lives from coronavirus, but also from other factors, such as hunger.

“There are three areas to focus on: Expanding economic opportunities, improving the capability of Filipinos to adapt under the new normal, and ensuring people-centered, clean, technology-enabled, and responsive governance amid the pandemic,” Chua said.
            

He explained that navigating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and thriving in the new normal require a whole-of-society approach.

“The government needs the utmost cooperation of the public, the business sector, and civil society in restarting socioeconomic activities while preventing the spread of the virus, and mitigating the ill-effects of this pandemic,” Chua said.                 

NEDA created a program called “Recharge PH,” the agency’s task group that will lead the formulation and monitoring of government’s action plan towards economic recovery.

“Recharge PH seeks to refocus, sharpen the design and accelerate the implementation of programs under the 2020 General Appropriations to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and help get the Philippine economy recover,” NEDA said.

“Recharge PH builds on the work of the IATF Technical Working Group for Anticipatory and Forward Planning, also led by NEDA, which produced the ‘We Recover as One’ report containing the initial assessment of the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19,” the agency added.

Three sub-task groups (sTGs) led by the Department of Trade and Industry (Economic Recovery), Department of Social Welfare and Development (Social Recovery), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (Governance) have also been formed.

The three sub-task groups will assist government in the development of programs and projects that will contribute to the fight against COVID-19 and in the creation of delivery mechanisms in consideration of the new normal.  
           

 “The sTGs will play a crucial role in the identification, monitoring, and evaluation of the programs and projects that will address and mitigate the impact of COVID-19,” NEDA said.
            

"Also, the sTGs will ensure the complementation and convergence of efforts of national government agencies and other Task Groups, and provide recommendations to the National Task Force on COVID-19,” it added.
            

The Task Force on Recovery also aims to strengthen consumer protection, and develop policy interventions to address stigma, discrimination and human rights violations towards health workers and people with COVID-19, including those who have recovered from the virus.  

Recharge PH is to be implemented within 2020 and into 2021 and will be incorporated in the Updated Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.