People’s Reform Party senatorial bet Harry Roque on Saturday, Feb. 5 warned that economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will be difficult to achieve unless Filipinos unite.
“Marami tayong problema e pero kung tayo ay nagkakaisa malalampasan natin ‘yan. Nandiyan ‘yung pandemya, nandiyan ‘yung pagbangon sa pandemya. Napakadaming namatay, napakadaming nagkasakit, napakaraming nawalan ng trabaho. (We have many problem but we will overcome them if we are united. There’s the pandemic, the recovery from the pandemic. Many have died, became ill and lost their jobs).” Roque said in an interview with The Philippine Catalog.
“Hindi panahon ngayon na magbirahan, magtirahan. Panahon po ngayon na lahat tayo ay kilalanin na Pilipino tayo. (This is not the time to criticize and fight. This is the time for everybody to be proud we are Filipinos).” he stated.
Roque vowed to focus on providing legislation that would uplift the lives of Filipinos, especially those who lost their jobs, if he wins a Senate seat.
“We will heal and we will rise as one,” he added.
In October 2021, the country's unemployment rate was 7.4 percent, the third-lowest in 2021, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In December 2021, the poverty rate among Filipinos increased to 23.7 percent in the first semester of 2021, equating to 26.1 million people.
The same PSA data showed that Philippine Gross Domestic Product (GDP) posted a growth of 7.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021.
“Pangarap ko na mawala ang kahirapan, na lahat ng nananginip ng kabataan ay magkakaroon ng katuparan. ( My dream is for poverty to vanish, and the hopes of our youth will be fulfilled).” Roque said.