Strong collaborators in COVID-19 response
THE PRIVATE sector serves as a large collaborator with the government and other sectors in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). From sharing insights from their point of view to providing necessities to essent ial workers and critical portions of society, the private sector did a great share in responding to the ongoing pandemic.
As the COVID- 19 crisis brought a grave impact on the Phi l ippine economy, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Indus t r y ( PCCI), the country’s largest business group, submitted to the government its suggestions to help the nation recover amid the pandemic last April.
The chamber ’s recommendations included epidemic control, resumption of economic act ivity, and eliminating barriers to the supply chain and the movement of people.
Under resuming economic activity, PCCI proposed to focus on rehabilitating existing transportation infrastructures, prioritizing agriculture and manufacturing supply chainenhancing inf rast ructure projects; shifting growth strategy on the domestic market and aiming for food security; leveraging on disruptive technologies to help businesses adapt to the new normal; and adapting more f lexible arrangements to facilitate micro and small enterprises’ access to loans.
More recently, last July 14, Philippine business groups and foreign chambers have asked the Senate and House of Representatives to pass 27 pending reform measures that support economic recovery. Among the top priority measures include Public Service Act amendments, Ta x Reform Package 2 or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises ( CREATE) Act, amendments on Foreign Investment Act, and Retail Trade Act amendments.
Among the business groups who signed the proposal to the president and Congress include Alyansa Agrikultura, European Chamber of Commerce of the Phi lippines, Federation of Filipino- Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc., Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, and Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines.
PROJECT ARK
Another remarkable move from the private sector is the Project Antibody Rapid Test Kits initiative, more known as Project ARK. Publ icly introduced by Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion and his group last April, Project ARK aims to make massive testing possible through the use of Antibody Rapid Test Kits.
The project started with 500,000 antibody rapid test kits shared among 205 partner companies to screen their employees, according to Mr. Concepcion. Then, in June, Project ARK has embarked on a study on pool polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which is regarded as more sensitive and accurate than antibody rapid tests.
As a result of this research, Mr. Concepcion announced last August 17 that PCR- based pooled testing will be rolled out in Makati City and other parts of Metro Manila. Under this pooled testing, five individuals will be sharing one PCR test kit.
Eighteen organizations from the private sector will support the pooled testing, the Project ARK head added.
“This will be a game-changer for our country. We will also bring more private sector companies to support more cities in NCR. It could speed up testing, increase the capacity, and make it cheaper,” he was quoted as saying in a report from the Philippine Information Agency.
BusinessWorld reported last July 15 that Project ARK has partnered with 437 companies, with 1,788,628 total kits procured so far for the workforce.
GROUP INITIATIVES
Business groups have also grouped together to provide aid to critical sectors during the pandemic.
The Phi lippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, the major private sector vehicle and coordinator for disaster ma na g ement , d i l i g ent l y responded to the crisis through its various programs.
Its “Project Ugnayan” raised over P1.5 billion to fund the distribution of grocery vouchers to urban poor residents in the
Metro Manila Area. The initiative reached over 7.6 million people in the vulnerable communities in the area.
“P r o j e c t Ka a g a p a y ”, meanwhile, raised almost P92 million in cash donations and received P27 million worth of inkind donations to provide muchneeded personal protective equipment for the healthcare community.
Moreover, online marketplace platform Airbnb partnered with PDRF in launching a local program to provide housing to COVID- 19 responders in the country.
To help build the pandemic response expertise of Filipino healthcare workers, PDRF held “Project Pagasa”, a COVID-19 training of trainers program attended by almost 90 doctors, nurses, and health professionals from public and private hospitals and organizations across the country.
Another group volunteering in the COVID-19 response is the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). The group served as the main partner for raising, receiving, and disbursing funds in “Bayanihan Musikahan”, an online campaign wherein more than 100 artists performed live and for free while encouraging donations from the viewing public.
As of May 30, the campaign has raised over P122 million, a large part of which came from corporate donations. From the donations raised, meals were provided to urban poor communities and health facilities communities; hygiene kits were donated to several government and COVID-19-related centers; and daily sustenance were provided to homeless individuals. —