Gov't urged to continue social services despite economic contraction
Published May 7, 2020 12:00 am
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senator Joel Villanueva urged on Thursday the government to continue to provide assistance to Filipinos as the local economy suffers a decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sen. Joel Villanueva
(Senate of the Philippines) Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, said the contraction of the Philippine economy for the first few months of this year was expected since the government had to impose quarantine measures, "which was the only way to arrest the spread of COVID-19." He said, however, that the administration should continue its social support programs for those most affected by the restrictions. "The longer we impose the quarantine, more individuals will need financial and social assistance. We must realize this and must be ready to provide assistance and review their target beneficiaries," Villanueva appealed. Companies, he said, should also be assisted to prevent them from laying off workers. "We also see companies beginning to lay-off workers. We must act immediately to provide support to these companies so that they can continue to employ their workers. The number of the vulnerable in the population is expanding. We must be able to respond to their needs immediately," he appealed. Villanueva likewise reiterated his call to reopen sectors that are "essential, valuable," and those "with strong disease surveillance mechanisms". "This can provide employment to some and produce basic necessities while most of us are under quarantine," he explained. To anticipate the spike in COVID-19 cases due to the resumption of the economy, the government should, at the same time, ramp up the capacity of the country's healthcare system, he said. "This potential rise is one of the risks that go with the reopening of the economy, and the only way we can mitigate this is to expand the capacity of our healthcare system," Villanueva noted. "As we have seen in the past months, failing to prepare means preparing to fail," he pointed out. The Philippine Statistics Authority had earlier reported that the country's gross domestic product decreased to 0.2 percent from January to March this year. It is the first time that the country registered an economic contraction since 1998. The Department of Labor and Employment said that as of April, over 2 million workers lost their jobs due to the closure of businesses amid the COVID-19 lockdowns. Metro Manila and other high-risk areas in the country remain under enhanced community quarantine until May 15.
Sen. Joel Villanueva(Senate of the Philippines) Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, said the contraction of the Philippine economy for the first few months of this year was expected since the government had to impose quarantine measures, "which was the only way to arrest the spread of COVID-19." He said, however, that the administration should continue its social support programs for those most affected by the restrictions. "The longer we impose the quarantine, more individuals will need financial and social assistance. We must realize this and must be ready to provide assistance and review their target beneficiaries," Villanueva appealed. Companies, he said, should also be assisted to prevent them from laying off workers. "We also see companies beginning to lay-off workers. We must act immediately to provide support to these companies so that they can continue to employ their workers. The number of the vulnerable in the population is expanding. We must be able to respond to their needs immediately," he appealed. Villanueva likewise reiterated his call to reopen sectors that are "essential, valuable," and those "with strong disease surveillance mechanisms". "This can provide employment to some and produce basic necessities while most of us are under quarantine," he explained. To anticipate the spike in COVID-19 cases due to the resumption of the economy, the government should, at the same time, ramp up the capacity of the country's healthcare system, he said. "This potential rise is one of the risks that go with the reopening of the economy, and the only way we can mitigate this is to expand the capacity of our healthcare system," Villanueva noted. "As we have seen in the past months, failing to prepare means preparing to fail," he pointed out. The Philippine Statistics Authority had earlier reported that the country's gross domestic product decreased to 0.2 percent from January to March this year. It is the first time that the country registered an economic contraction since 1998. The Department of Labor and Employment said that as of April, over 2 million workers lost their jobs due to the closure of businesses amid the COVID-19 lockdowns. Metro Manila and other high-risk areas in the country remain under enhanced community quarantine until May 15.