Truly, it’s agonizing to see, hear, and read the trail of destruction across the country—from the regions of Visayas to Luzon—left by the super typhoons Tino and Uwan. Reconstruction is expected to reach billions, if not trillions, of pesos.

It’s as if we ain’t seen nothing yet, as cartloads of man-made and natural disasters keep coming our way. Reminds me of the American pop, soul, and jazz-fusion band of my formative years, Earth, Wind & Fire: the earth shuddered in Cebu in September, followed by the winds of super typhoons Tino and Uwan, and the intermittent eruption of Taal Volcano.

Yes, Virginia, it’s painful and underscores the importance of controversial flood control projects, which triggered a tightening in government’s infrastructure spending that caused the slowdown in domestic economic growth.

Studies showed that frequent but low-damaging typhoons could impact the domestic economy’s potential to expand by one percent. However, the severity of the effect is assumed to go up to as much as three percent, depending on the typhoon’s intensity and strength.

On one hand, the massive reconstruction could perk up economic activities, but on the other hand, businesses hit by the cataclysmic devastation of the twin super typhoons may have a hard time returning to normal operations.

Heard along the banking alleys that businesses are now back at the drawing board, reviewing their macroeconomic assumptions. With the fourth quarter Gross Domestic Product expected to remain slow, a muted banking source lamented that “unemployment will remain relatively high, given the weak economy.”

This brings to mind the “Gig Life PH” study recently conducted by Ipsos Group, a Paris, France-based multinational market research and consulting firm, that shows a rapidly growing sector that is changing how Filipinos work and earn, anchored on flexibility, independence, and innovation.   The study revealed that gig workers—described as independent contractors, online platform-contract firm-on-demand, and temporary workers—enjoy “flexibility and earn more without having to give up their full-time job.”

This, actually, came to the fore at the height of the pandemic lockdown when work-from-home was the preferred mode, and online and platform sellers mushroomed while enjoying control of their hours and having the ability to work from various places.

Already, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) acknowledged the contribution of gig workers to the employed workforce. Latest PSA data indicate that approximately 9.9 million Filipinos are engaged in gig work, representing around 22 percent of the total employed population of 44 million.

Given this, the Ipsos study likewise highlights the government’s crucial role in supporting the continued growth of the gig economy by ensuring fair and transparent earnings, along with robust social protection tailored to gig workers’ unique circumstances and need for autonomy on choosing which social protection programs best fit their needs.

Simply put, not having enough paid work is not a deterrent for Filipinos to make full use of their skills and abilities. It’s our inherent, irrepressible, and spirited quality that will allow us to surmount the difficulties besetting us.  

Here's praying this will come to pass.