“A second lockdown will destroy this country, I’m already saying that,” Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion pronounced in an interview.
Concepcion urged both the public and private sectors to work together in containing the spread in COVID-19 infections. According to him, the country’s economy may not be able to take another round of strict lockdown measures.
Concepcion said imposing another strict community quarantine will put to waste some of the government’s efforts and programs dedicated for the crisis-hit sectors, including the proposed ₱1.3-trillion economic stimulus package.
“Having another lockdown will create frustration, we will also waste the stimulus program that Congress is trying to pass, and all the other supportive programs. So there will be a sense of frustration, and people may lose hope,” he added.
This economic strategy was recently approved on second reading in the House of Representatives. The proposed Philippine Economic Stimulus Act provides for a ₱1.3-trillion recovery plan for those affected by the pandemic.
The economist reiterated the need to “create visibility” by ramping up targeted testing efforts in various sectors.
“The urgency, really, in creating visibility and being more vigilant and practicing social distancing and all of that has to really be implemented now,” he stressed.
As of writing, the Philippines has recorder over 18,000 cases of the infectious disease.
