Manufacturing companies payagang mag-operate kung….

KAKAILANGANIN na umanong palawigin ang produksyon ng ilang pabrika upang matiyak na sapat ang suplay ng pagkain sa pagpapalawig ng Enhanced Community Quarantine.

Ayon kay House committee on trade and industry chairman at Valenzuela Rep. Wes Gatchalian ang suportado niya ang pagpapalawig ng ECQ subalit dapat ay magkaroon ng pagbabago sa polisiya sa manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, at food security.

“We understand that the health of the people is a primary concern but an efficient balance of both the consumers (demand) and industries (supply) of the trade and industry sector and the health concerns is vital because favoring health over commerce, or commerce over health, is counterproductive. An extended ECQ is the better option at this time, but measures must be in place to ensure a balance of the priorities between these sectors,” ani Gatchalian.

“We can jumpstart the economy by allowing some industries to begin operating again, and the workforce to work again, while at the same time still protect the health of the people by requiring social distancing, mass testing, and contact tracing,” ani Gatchalian.

Sa survey ng Philippine Chamber of Commerce, Inc., 51.43 porsyento ng mga respondent-manufacturer ang mayroong operasyon samantalang ang 48.57 porsyento ang sarado.

Sa 51.43 porsyento na may operasyon, 27 porsyento ang nakakapag-operate ng lagpas sa 50 porsyento ng kapasidad nito samantalang mahigit sa kalahati ang nasa 10 porsyento lamang ng normal na kapasidad nito.

Ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority, ang National Capital Region galing ang 38 porsyento ng Gross Domestic Product ng bansa at 28 porsyento naman ang katabi nitong Calabarzon (Region 4-A) at Central Luzon.

“This data implies that any more prolonged disruption to the GMMA will cause major economic disruption and will affect the entire country. It may put the Philippines in a situation that may take decades to recover from.”

Maaari umanong payagan ang mga manufacturing company na mag-operate kung mabibigyan nito ng pagkain at matutuluyan ang kanilang mga empleyado upang hindi kailanganin ng mga ito na umuwi lalo at problema ang sasakyan ng mga ito.

“… as an alternative, in order to maintain health and security – DTI must implement policies allowing manufacturing establishments to operate only if they can provide food and shelter for their workers. The shelter should be inside or adjacent to the premises of the workplace so that the movement of people is limited and social distancing can be maintained. If manufacturers cannot ensure this measure, they cannot re-open until the ECQ is lifted so that health policies currently in place will not be jeopardized.”