MANILA, Philippines — As the holiday season approaches amid a pandemic, Vice President Leni Robredo is asking government offices and private companies not to have Christmas parties and just save their money.
In her Sunday radio program, Robredo said gifts to be given in Christmas parties can be turned into a form of assistance for poor families and those affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Wala muna kasi sayang lang sa gastos. Saka wala muna iyong — huwag na muna sigurong magregaluhan. Parang instead na magregaluhan, papunta na lang doon sa… ang regaluhan na lang iyong mga kailangan talagang regaluhan na mga mahihirap. Sana doon muna,” she said.
(Maybe we could defer those because it’s a waste of funds. And we could also not exchange gifts. Instead of giving gifts to each other, let’s just give gifts to those who really need it, the poor families. I hope we do that.)
“Kami din sa office, marami din kaming pinagpaliban muna. Iyong makakahintay pa next year na mga activities, next year na lang, para iyong lahat na mase-save namin ngayon, papunta lahat talaga sa direct na tulong sa mga tao,” she added.
(Even at the office, we have already set aside a lot of activities. We can wait for the activities next year, so everything that we save today will be allocated to directly help those in need.)
Robredo’s message also came amid possibilities that some companies may be allowed to defer or totally not give their employees 13th month pay because of the economic downturn.
Last Thursday, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it is in the process of crafting rules and guidelines for companies that may be allowed to suspend the payout of the 13th month payments because of the health crisis.
READ: DOLE eyeing to allow delay in payout of 13th-month bonus by ‘distressed’ firms
According to Robredo, she hopes companies that are earning despite the pandemic will not take advantage of the possible DOLE order. She admitted though that she has talked to several companies who are actually struggling and losing income — and are operating just to ensure employees will not be retrenched.
“Tingin ko alam ng mga manggagawa kung aling mga kumpanya ang nawalan talaga ng capacity na ibigay at this time iyong 13th month pay, so sila iyong makakapagsabi kung pinagsasamantalahan ng employer iyong oportunidad, Pero sa akin lang […] sana lahat tayo mag-share ng burden. Lahat magsakripisyo, lahat parang mag-belt-tightening. Kasi talagang mahirap iyong panahon,” she said.
(I think the workers know which companies really lost their capacity to give the 13th-month pay this time, so they can really say which companies are also taking advantage of the situation. But for me, I hope we share in the burden as a lot are already sacrificing, a lot are tightening their belts because times are hard.)
“Karamihan naman sa mga nakakausap natin na mga negosyante, halos lahat nagsasabi na ang goal nila ngayon hindi kumita, pero iyong goal nila wala lang silang ma-retrench na empleyado […] Pero iyon nga, iyong pakiusap lang natin, sana hindi i-take advantage, sana hindi i-take advantage iyong opportunity,” she added.
(There are a lot of businesses that we talked to, who said that their goal now is not to earn money but to avoid retrenching their employees. But then again, we hope companies would not take advantage of the opportunity.)
Even before the government announced that the Philippine economy entered a recession after the country’s gross domestic product shrunk by 16.5 percent in 2020, a lot of companies have already announced layoffs due to limited operations.
Due to the restrictions on the movement of people to contain the spread of the coronavirus and regulations barring the operation of non-essential activities, some companies either reduced their operational staffers or were forced to totally close shop.
Some of the hardest-hit industries include those in the travel and tourism industry, transportation and aviation, food and beverages, and other luxury and leisure businesses.
READ: First in 75 yrs: Victory Liner laying off hundreds of workers
READ: PAL to let go of 2,700 employees as pandemic beats up airline
READ: Sun Cruises Inc. bids goodbye as pandemic devastates PH tourism industry
Despite having the longest lockdowns in the world, the Philippines remains in the top 20 countries with COVID-19 cases. As of Sunday, the total number of cases rose to 339,341, over 39,000 of which are active cases.
There are also 293,075 patients who have recovered from the disease, while 6,321 succumbed to it.
READ: COVID-19 recoveries on Sunday at 17,057; active cases decrease to 39,945