Reviving the economy
DESPITE the detection of the Omicron sublineage BA.2.12.1 in the country, the government ought to continue efforts to revive the economy by reopening more productive sectors.
The still beleaguered Filipino people are made to believe that the further easing of pandemic restrictions will help generate more employment and income opportunities in the Philippines.
Like other countries, joblessness remains a major problem in the Philippines. Of course, the unemployment situation worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In fact, many establishments, mostly small-scale businesses, are still closed because of lack of financial and manpower resources.
Note that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) had earlier reiterated its recommendation to place the entire country under alert level 1 pandemic restrictions.
“As we continue to manage the risks, we reiterate our recommendation to shift the entire country to alert level 1…to strenghten the economy against external pressures,” said NEDA chief Karl Kendrick Chua.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, on the other hand, said the shift and the resumption of more in-person classes in the country could cushion the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war
Lopez acknowledged that placing Metropolitan Manila (MM), the country’s premier region, and 38 other areas last month was certainly a big help to the domestic economy.
Thus, we cannot overemphasize the importance of preventing the spread of the Omicron sublineage BA.2.12.1 if we are to fast-track the recovery of the economy.
And, in our view, the government, with the help of the public, is now in a position to address the problem.
