Vice President Leni Robredo started her second day of visit to Negros Occidental with a meeting with the chapter leaders of Murcia Women’s Association – Lakas ng Kababaihan (MWA-LNK) in Sitio Sumbingco, Brgy. Damsite in Murcia, Negros Occidental.
FILE photo / Jay Ganzon of OVP)
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo has vowed to set aside P100 billion from the government’s funds to aid the recovery of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which have been hard-hit by lockdown restrictions and other factors brought in by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking during the Go Negosyo’s Kandidatalk forum on Monday, Robredo said that allotting stimulus packages for MSMEs would also bode well for the economy generally, as small establishments would no longer need to layoff employees — therefore preventing more job loss and unemployment.
“Yong aking proposal, mag-budget ng P100 billion na stimulus package para sa mga MSMEs. Bakit kailangan ng stimulus package? Kasi kailangan natin ‘tong i-back to back, doon sa unemployment na napaka-taas ngayon,” the Vice President told the forum’s audience.
(In my proposal, P100 billion would be budgeted as a stimulus package for the MSMEs. Why do they need a stimulus package? Because we need to address these back-to-back issues, especially unemployment which has been so high recently.)
“Kaya siya stimulus kasi io-offer natin ‘yon sa mga MSMEs para hindi sila kailangan pang magtanggal ng mga empleyado,” she added.
(It’s a stimulus package because it would be offered to MSMEs so that they do not need to fire their employees.)
But aside from that, Robredo stressed that the government also has to assist workers in increasing their skill and making it attuned to the demands of the new normal scenario due to the health crisis.
In the same manner, establishments should also get help in retrofitting their structures, to ensure that there is a low chance of COVID-19 transmissions with proper ventilation and sanitary measures.
“Kabilang din ‘don sa COVID-19 recovery plan na sinasabi ko ‘yong pagprovide ng usual skills trainings, livelihood grants, at online jobs matching platform na ginagawa na namin ngayon. Pero kailangan din ng targeted na infrastructure para maprotektahan ‘yong mga negosyo,” Robredo said.
(Also included in the COVID-19 recovery that I have talked about is the provision of the usual skills trainings, livelihood grants, and online jobs matching platform which we have been doing recently. But we also need a targeted infrastructure to protect businesses.)
“I-promote ‘yong mga outdoor economic activities kasi ang daming nagsara kasi hindi handa ‘yong kanilang infrastructure. Halimbawa na lang po ‘yong pagretrofit ng ibang infrastructure na kasalukuyan nang naka-tayo para magkaroon ng mas maayos na ventilation kasi COVID is here to stay,” she added.
(We should promote outdoor economic activities because there’s a lot of establishments who closed down because their facilities were not prepared. For example, retrofitting is needed for the infrastructure aspect of some business sites just to ensure that there is better ventilation, because COVID is here to stay.)
Planning must also move toward creating more green and open spaces, as enclosed areas have been observed to be more conducive for COVID-19 transmissions.
This is not the first time Robredo spoke about her plans for recovery from the COVID-19 crisis in case she gets elected president in 2022. Last November 3, Robredo revealed her main points for her recovery platform, which centered on strengthening the country’s healthcare system.
A more detailed plan was made public on November 8, which included various programs that would help businesses — especially small ones — cope and recover from the economic downturn.
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This is also neither the first time Robredo mentioned specific figures that she would need to turn the economy around: On November 8, Robredo said that they are looking at sourcing P500 billion to fund her COVID-19 response, stressing that they already know where to source such funding using the current proposed budget — again, if she is elected president.
READ: Robredo says she knows where to source COVID response fund if elected president
Then just this November 18, Robredo said that P216 billion of that would be used just for social aid or “ayuda” of people whose jobs and livelihood were affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns amid the surge in infections, especially last March and April 2021, and the more recent August to September surge.
READ: Robredo’s promise: P216B for ayuda in first 100 days
Robredo is running for president in what appears to be a tight race, withs several big names vying for the seat. Other personalities include Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, labor leader Leody de Guzman, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, and Bong Go, former senator Bongbong Marcos, and former military general Antonio Parlade.
Despite that, she remains optimistic about her chances, after a recent survey showed that she is now the top two candidate behind Marcos — a pleasant surprise especially since they are not expecting her numbers to improve until January and February 2022.
READ: Robredo surprised over warm public response to presidential bid, unaffected by ‘frontrunner’