GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay For most economic experts, the Philippines has yet to break out of the phenomenon known as “jobless growth.” If there were jobs created from the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) boom, for example, these were jobs in urban areas benefitting the younger, college-educated workforce. In rural areas, unemployment, hunger, and poverty remained high because no new jobs were being created in the agricultural sector. Confidence in the economy created job demands in certain sectors, but these were not enough to accommodate new entrants to the labor force. Simply put, the economy has not reached the capacity to provide more jobs to match the high labor force growth rate. The situation now is the reverse. Instead of growth, we have an economic contraction. Instead of jobs being created in some sectors, jobs are being lost. According to the latest estimate from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), nearly five million jobs have been lost because of the pandemic and the lockdown imposed by the government. The lockdown is still in place, a month shy of one year. Government says it will start easing restrictions early this year to coincide with the planned mass vaccination of priority sectors of the population. The economy is expected to pick up after. But between now and the projected uptick in the economy, government is apparently holding off the release of any further economic relief for citizens. With the pandemic response being funded substantially by loans and grants from foreign creditors totalling US$14.26 billion as of this writing, some observers also worry that huge borrowings could lead to another “debt trap” that would unduly burden future generations. They would prefer government to re-channel billions in available resources from infrastructure projects to public health, from the red-tagging activities of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to more money in the hands of citizens and local businesses. But that is unlikely to happen. Until such a time that the economy begins to slowly recover, and absent any overt moves on the part of government to extend another round of economic relief, it seems that every one is expected to live within their means and explore opportunities to keep family afloat. But in these times, it remains a puzzle why government would choose to make life more difficult for ordinary citizens trying their best to earn an honest living. Last year, some government officials insisted on enforcing a policy requiring motorcycle owners to put a barrier between the rider and the passenger, despite warnings from driving safety experts that the barrier would make the vehicle unstable. This would mean added costs for the owners. Senior government officials stood their ground, and threatened violators with arrest and fines. The policy was quietly rescinded amidst incessant criticisms. And then just last week, another government agency, the Land Transportation Office (LTO), announced it would impose higher fees for mandatory vehicle inspections. This covers all kinds of motor vehicles, including motorcycles that have become a lifeline for many who have taken to providing courier and food delivery services as a way to provide for the needs of their families. The administration rightfully announced that such inspections would no longer be mandatory, but not after earning the ire of vehicle owners. It’s as if the government never learns. This serial fumbling has become habitual, a trademark of how governance is dispensed under the present administration. And the propensity of some government officials to insist on imposing these oppressive policies, often accompanied by threats of punitive response for non-compliance, exhibits insensitivity and dearth of compassion so badly needed in these times. With recovery still far beyond the horizon, wouldn’t it be the wiser course of action to declare a moratorium on any increase in fees, charges, and penalties until the pandemic is over? It’s a simple solution, plain common sense. But it seems to have eluded most government officials. We have been on an extended lockdown, the world’s longest by all accounts. But up to now, government seems more fixated with imposing additional burdens on an already burdened public rather than extending relief and comfort. It is more concerned with silencing critics, red-tagging its enemies, dispensing pork barrel, and controlling the narrative, rather than effectively controlling the spread of the virus. [email protected]