Palace backs PH’s shift to MGCQ: It’s time to address hunger, poverty

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday expressed support to the recommendation placing the entire Philippines under the more permissive modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), emphasizing the need to address hunger and poverty problems.

“Dahil mas matimbang na nga ‘yung paghihirap natin dahil sa non-Covid-related activities at dahil napatunayan naman ng mga Pilipino sa isang survey po ng Octa Research, 93 percent po ang nagsusuot ng mask sa ating mga kababayan, pinapakita po natin na panahon na po siguro talaga na isalba naman natin ang ating mga kababayan sa pagkagutom at sa pagkahirap,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing.

(Since our suffering on non-Covid-related activities is now more substantial and Filipinos have proven in an Octa Research that 93 percent wear masks, it shows that it’s time for us to now save our countrymen who are experiencing hunger and poverty.)

READ: Put PH under less restrictive MGCQ to revive economy, Neda chief advises Duterte 

Citing figures from a study made by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), Roque said there are now more people suffering from hunger and poverty than the country’s more than 550,000 cases of Covid-19.

“Mas matimbang po ngayon ‘yung mga kababayan natin na nagugutom na nasa 23.7 million, ‘yung ating additional na naghirap na mga kababayan nasa 4.5 million, ‘yung mga karagdagang nawalan ng trabaho at 2.7 million,” Roque said.

(What’s burdensome now is that 23.7 million of our countrymen are already experiencing hunger, 4.5 million more Filipinos are in poverty, and an additional 2.7 million have already lost their jobs.)

The President is carefully studying the Neda chief’s recommendation, which will be taken up in the upcoming Cabinet meeting on February 22, Roque said.

The proposal to further ease the country’s quarantine restrictions comes as the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases recently allowed more businesses and tourist spots to reopen in general community quarantine (GCQ) areas also in a bid to spur economic activity.

KGA