Support for the promising "Bakuna Bubble" proposal of Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion continues to snowball.
Over 1,000 business owners and franchisees rallied behind Concepcion's call to allow greater mobility to fully vaccinated individuals a way to revive the economy.
In a manifesto, the business owners and proprietors expressed full support for the implementation of the Bakuna Bubble, which Concepcion first floated last month as a way to deal with the restrictions caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Metro Manila.
Under the Bakuna Bubble, COVID-19 guidelines are eased for fully vaccinated individuals to help boost the economy and facilitate the employment of many Filipinos. "Bakuna" is the Filipino word for vaccine.
“It (Bakuna Bubble) would allow these severely affected establishments the opportunity to bounce back and more importantly for their employees to begin to rebuild their livelihood,” the manifesto backers said.
“We believe that this is the best way to safely open up the economy, saving both lives and livelihood,” they added.
They lamented that they have incurred tremendous losses since the start of the pandemic 18 months ago. Specifically, the financial losses and obligations resulted from the lockdowns implemented by the national government.
“Our employees have families to feed and stable employment is difficult to assure without a clear plan,” they noted.
The Metro Manila Council (MMC) recently joined Concepcion’s push to let fully vaccinated individuals enjoy greater mobility as a means to jumpstart the economy.
In a resolution signed by the 17 Metro Manila mayors and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos, the MMC asked the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to let fully vaccinated people engage in business and other activities that are prohibited under quarantine guidelines issued by the IATF.
As part of their support to the government’s initiatives, businesses have actively encouraged their employees to get vaccinated. A lot of companies have even invested in vaccines to ensure that their workers are protected.
The business owners also expressed support to the planned granular lockdowns, which are more localized and specific as opposed to region-wide quarantine classifications.
They also appealed to the government to consider the granular lockdowns as a sustainable option that provides responsive and prudent framework in preventing the spread of COVID-19 within communities.
“This framework can serve as a secure a safe way to restart and sustain the economy whilst ensuring that proper measures are in place to safeguard citizens’ health,” the manifesto stated.