Push Admin

Easing Metro Manila quarantine crucial for PH to achieve growth target: NEDA

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/05/03/20210408-ecq-baseco-sap-gc-11.jpg"/><figcaption>Since the government reimposed the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), indigent residents in Metro Manila and nearby provinces had no choice but to wait for the government&#x27;s cash dole-out under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) for their daily needs. April 9, 2021. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Metro Manila must ease its community quarantine status for the Philippines to achieve its economic growth target this year, the country&#x27;s socioeconomic planning chief said Monday.</p><p>Economic managers had projected 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent growth in 2021 and 8 to 10 percent growth in 2022, after the country&#x27;s gross domestic product contracted by 9.6 percent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/04/08/21/ph-lowers-2020-gdp-growth-rate-negative-96-pct">Philippines lowers 2020 economic growth rate to -9.6 percent</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/04/26/21/philippine-economy-75-percent-gdp-growth-neda-karl-chua">PH economy has time to grow up to 7.5 pct this year despite lockdowns: NEDA</a></li></ul><p>The capital region, home to a tenth of the country&#x27;s population, needs to &quot;move out&quot; of modified enhanced community quarantine by the middle or end of May, said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua.</p><p>&quot;We can’t be in MECQ for the entire year. We have to use these 2 months very wisely that we are in this bubble to enhance our PIDTR (Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate) strategy so that we can open the economy as soon as we can,&quot; he told ANC&#x27;s Headstart.</p><p>&quot;We have to move out of MECQ, we have to go to GCQ and even better. A big part of that, 95 percent is our own personal behavior and everyone knows already what to do.&quot;</p><p>The country can achieve its growth target if it opens the economy &quot;as safely as we can and not be totally risk-averse,&quot; if it accelerates its implementation of recovery packages, and if it deploys its vaccination program &quot;as fast&quot; as possible, Chua said.</p><p>&quot;The biggest priority right now is to get vaccination implemented as quick as possible. We are constrained not by our finances but by the global supply,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Once supply comes we have to be ready to deliver them as soon as we can.&quot;</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1676497" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Metro Manila must ease its community quarantine status for the Philippines to achieve its economic growth target this year, the country's socioeconomic planning chief said Monday.</p>

Metro Manila must ease its community quarantine status for the Philippines to achieve its economic growth target this year, the country's socioeconomic planning chief said Monday.