PCCI: Include biz sector in IATF-EID

A business chamber on Thursday sought the inclusion of the country’s business sector in the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

In a statement, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said a resolution passed by its board of directors urged the government to consult the private sector before forming policy recommendations on community quarantines to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic and the resumption of economic activities.

“The [task force] will be able to use the on-the-ground experience of the business sector to come up with a holistic approach that will make it easier for businesses to resume operations and for workers to return to work,” PCCI President Benedicto Yujuico said.

He hopes the government would recognize the role of businesses in creating demand for labor and providing incomes, and the urgency to address livelihoods and poverty before social unrest ensues.

The PCCI also renewed its call to allow the full resumption of economic activities.

Yujuico said that, based on his consultations with micro, small and medium enterprises, most were concerned about the government’s apprehension to fully open the economy, the incoherence in the regulations of the IATF-EID and local government agencies, and the stringent guidelines imposed on enterprises that were allowed to operate under general community quarantine (GCQ).

“For instance, mandating the use of face shields for workers, the observance of two-meter physical distancing, and the designation of an isolation area of one room for every 200 employees are simply not realistic in a production-line setting,” he added.

Other major concerns raised were the stringent regulation on public transportation that limits the mobility of workers; policies and regulations imposed by local government units that are inconsistent with those implemented by the IATF-EID; impractical standards that must be adopted in workplace settings; slow consumer confidence that negatively affects sales and revenues; and cash flow and liquidity.

The imposition of health and safety standards on the informal sector, Yujuico said, is also an added cost that eats into their already meager revenues.

“We acknowledge the hard work the [IATF-EID] is doing to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

We understand the precarious situation of our medical workers and frontliners. But we also need to stress that the longer our economy stays in its current state, where businesses cannot function 100 percent [or] even up to 75 percent, the more protracted the recession [would become] and the more people will be permanently out of jobs,” he warned.

Source: TheManila Times