THE National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on Sunday said that policies are already being identified to help the country’s economy adjust to the “new normal” amid the ongoing threat from the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the Inter-Agency Task Force Technical Working Group for Anticipatory and Forward Planning, which NEDA chairs, is “currently preparing to provide recommendations to rebuild confidence and adjust to the new normal.”
“We are doing this even while the government accelerates the implementation of measures to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” he added.
According to Pernia, it is essential for the government to characterize what the “new normal” would mean to each segment of the population, considering that the COVID-19 pandemic affects various sectors.
“We are currently crowdsourcing for inputs on how the whole of government can address the challenges the country is facing,” he said.
Pernia said the TWG will propose programs and strategies to promote confidence in the country’s health systems through data analytics, to rebuild consumer and business confidence, as well as policies to adapt to a “new normal” state of economic activities.
“The whole of government will also be ready to adjust plans and implement the necessary interventions as the air of uncertainty is expected to remain with us for some time,” he said.
“We aim for these strategies to cover the most pressing issues and build from there with forward planning as our lens,” he added.
The TWG’s progress report is targeted for submission to the IATF for Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases tomorrow, April 7 and the final report by April 13.
Members of the IATF-TWG-AFP include the Departments of Science and Technology, Trade and Industry, Education, Health, Budget and Management, Finance, Agriculture, Tourism, and Information and Communications Technology; National Intelligence Coordinating Agency; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; and University of the Philippines Resilience Institute.(GMA News)
