economists and small business owners to revive the economy . And with the excruciatingly slow rollout of ayuda , people have been left helpless as the government fails to provide for their needs .
The government needs to allow people to get back to work , not just to revive the economy , but also to allow workers to make the money they need to provide for their families . Ayuda alone will not keep people from starving , and so to take from them the ability to work is tantamount to taking away the food from their plate .
And even as some may argue that reopening the economy will only worsen the COVID-19 situation in the country , it is a risk that we need to take . Because when the common refrain becomes “ Mas takot akong mamatay sa gutom kaysa sa COVID ,” we have allowed the solution to become worse than the problem itself . Jeepney drivers are begging on the street . Is that not a sign that they need help ?
The Philippine economy is now caught in a limbo between lockdown and reopening , yet it can only last so long before it collapses under the weight of prolonged and repeated lockdowns . It is high time that the government does what it should have done long ago and take charge of the pandemic , lest both the health sector and the economy will have flatlined because of the incompetent response to the pandemic .
It has been 437 days since the Philippines has been placed into lockdown . It has been 437 days since people were forced into their homes , unable to earn a living for their families , and soon , they became desperate . These 437 days of lockdown have become the cause of starvation and joblessness in a country already suffering from extreme poverty .
Let us not add one day more .
LOOKING FORWARD
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