Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion on Wednesday, April 26, frowned upon the recent issuance of alert levels in several provinces, saying that it threatens consumer confidence that would be the key to strengthening the economy.
Joey Concepcion (Photo from Go Negosyo via Facebook) In a statement, the RFM Corporation president and chief executive officer questioned the need for alert levels when the country is no longer under a State of Public Health Emergency, which lapsed last December 2022. “The question we should be asking is why are we still implementing this alert level system when we are no longer under a State of Public Health Emergency?,” he asked. Concepcion argued that alert levels are not being issued when there are high cases of dengue. Instead, he said that, “We warn the public and increase awareness so that they will be more careful.” “At this point we cannot afford any lockdowns or loss of confidence among our consumers. We need more mobility and spending if we want to see our GDP (gross domestic product) move higher. We have to remember that it is the economy that is at a higher risk now,” he added. Earlier, the Inter-Agency Task for the Management (IATF) of Emerging Infectious Diseases put 56 of 82 provinces in the Philippines under Alert Level 1 until April 30. Some provinces remained under Alert Level 2 since last year because of their low vaccination rates but despite their low Covid cases and hospital utilization rates. But Concepcion, who led private sector efforts to secure vaccines for the Philippines and advocated for the gradual reopening of the economy at the height of the pandemic, argued that there is little evidence that the variant that is currently circulating should be a cause for concern “This is still the Covid variant that is mild, even the doctors are saying that,” he said. “At this point Filipinos know what to do. They are aware of the risks but are willing to take them because they are capable of managing them. Filipinos, especially the elderly and the vulnerable, know when situations are risky and they mask up,” he added. The entrepreneur and economic adviser believes that the country has already “achieved a level of immunity that is both vaccine-induced and from getting exposed to Covid.”