The newly-installed president of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) yesterday said the current surge in infection of the new coronavirus 2019 (COVID-1) threatens to set back the country’s recovery.
MAP president Alfredo Pascual in his inaugural address yesterday, expressed hope the elections this year will not lead to another crisis.
“We are still facing severe and multiple crises, including a health crisis, an economic crisis, an education crisis, an environmental crisis, and a social justice crisis. Given that 2022 is a critical election year for the country, we hope that political and constitutional crisis’ is not added to this already long list,” Pascual said.
Pascual said MAP is prepared to work with the duly elected new administration and contribute to its development programs “whatever the outcome may be.”
Pascual believes any increase in mobility restrictions can cause undue hardship once more for the business sector and the workers who could lose their jobs.
“COVID infection concerns of customers and workers alike have affected businesses adversely, and many companies have closed down and gone bankrupt,” he said, citing projections the unemployment rate in 2022 could range between 7 and 9 percent or roughly three times the pre-pandemic 2.2 percent in 2019.
“We should not be thinking of just going back to the pre-pandemic state of affairs in 2019.
What we should be striving for right now is a new normal that is genuinely sustainable, resilient, equitable, inclusive, and beneficial for all,” Pascual said.
The MAP this year will pursue three major thrusts: policy reform for economic dynamism, human development and well-being and; shared prosperity and sustainability.
“We will put together an agenda of policy imperatives and push for their adoption for sustained recovery and continuing progress, whether through executive or legislative action. In addition, we will advocate for good governance and the rule of law in the operation of and policy implementation by relevant public offices.
In the wake of the pandemic, the need for a conducive enabling environment for investment, foreign and domestic, becomes even more pressing. We must address the country’s energy security, resolve foreign ownership restrictions in critical industries, and improve the ease of doing business, to name just a few imperatives.
In addition, we must unleash private sector participation in infrastructure development to benefit from private sector capital, expertise, and efficiency,” Pascual said. – Irma Isip
