The Covid-19 pandemic may have destroyed lives and livelihoods, but the one good thing it did was it brought together the public and private sectors for the common good, Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said.
Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion (RTVM screenshot)
Concepcion said this after President Marcos lifted the State of Public Health Emergency in the country on July 21, 2023.
"The pandemic brought the public and private sector together. It showed that government and industry coming together can make a strong team against any adversity," he said.
"The pandemic destroyed lives and livelihoods, but on the bright side, it brought us all together to survive and win this war," he added.
According to Concepcion, the crisis also pushed many Filipinos to digitalize, starting with e-wallets for contactless transactions.
"Today, digitalization is bringing about greater inclusivity, with almost all Filipinos using e-wallets. This is one reason why economic recovery bounced back strongly," he said.
Concepcion warned, however, that Covid still remains and that people should continue to be vigilant.
"We should focus on producing more nurses and health care professionals. The Philippines is now at the center of this huge opportunity; we need to upskill those who want to be in this field as the world needs our nurses," he said.
"Now we need to grow our economy and create more jobs and livelihoods," he added.
Concepcion served as Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship under the Duterte administration and led the Project Ark initiative to make mass testing accessible. He likewise spearheaded "A Dose of Hope," a world's-first tripartite agreement that made vaccines available despite bureaucratic hurdles.
Concepcion also organized town hall meetings and supported the participation of doctors and scientists in forming policy regarding the pandemic.