Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion called for postponing the work-from-home arrangements to next year as mobility during the last quarter of the year is essential to keep the economy afloat.

"The fourth quarter of 2022 will be crucial for the country's MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) in particular and the economy in general," he said.

"We need people going out. If people don't spend, this will affect our economy. How will we attain the growth target that is needed to maintain our credit rating?" he added.

With this, Concepcion suggested postponing the implementation of work-from-home arrangements to next year when it is hoped that prices will have stabilized and mobility will not be as critical to economic activity as it will be in the final quarter of 2022.

He added that doing so would "mitigate the effects of rising prices so that the economy remains active throughout the holiday season" despite the rising prices of goods.

However, Concepcion, also the Private Sector Advisory Council lead for Jobs, noted that external factors threaten to weaken consumer spending beyond the government's control.

"We cannot control the rising prices and rising interest rates. External factors like the conflict in Russia and Ukraine are now affecting all of us," he said.

"We are facing strong headwinds, but there are things that can help us sail through and come out with a strong economy by the first quarter," he added.

Concepcion said that even though businesses are bound to feel the impact of rising prices in goods and commodities, manufacturers are already doing what they can to cushion the blow on consumers.

"The manufacturers and the large companies are passing on the increases slowly so that consumers do not get shocked by the inflation," he said.

Meanwhile, Concepcion noted that patience and cooperation are now more critical than ever.

"Like in 2021 when everybody stepped up and worked together, Filipinos must come out and contribute to economic activity," he said.

"The investments that resulted from the President's US visit will not be felt until months from now, so we have to make sure our economy will be strong enough and ready when these investments start flowing in," he added.

According to Malacañang, President Marcos' visit to the US last month raked in an estimated $3.9 billion worth of investment pledges, with a potential employment generation of 112,285 jobs.