THE 45-day public works ban that took effect on March 25 due to the upcoming elections should be implemented in a way that it will not affect jobs nor delay the completion of infrastructure projects in calamity areas.
Employment should not be a casualty of election. And pandemic recovery should not take a back seat to polls. We have 10.1 million unemployed and underemployed. Let us not worsen this already bleak jobs picture.
The number of workers in construction dipped to four million after pandemic lockdowns stopped work on public and private projects, government data showed.
As share to the Gross Domestic Product, government expenditures account for about 16 percent, so any slowdown in public construction will drag down growth.
Halting construction of schools and hospitals during summer when it is the best time to build before the rains comeā will set back their completion.
We should also take advantage of the good weather window to fix farm infrastructure like roads and irrigation.
Funding for P1.183 trillion worth of government infrastructure have been authorized in the 2022 national budget. The government is still in a catch-up mode as a large chunk of 2020 and 2021 funds for infrastructure was shifted to boost health facilities and as aid to economically-hit households. If we press the āpauseā button, weāll lag further.
Election laws and the Comelec resolution on the public works ban, however, grant a wide leeway in the handing out of exemptions to the ban. Among projects exempted are those ongoing or awarded before March 25, as well as āemergency work necessitated by the occurrence of a public calamity.ā
Therefore, the implementation of the public works protocol during the 45-day campaign period must be in accordance with the law. Respect the exemptions.
It will be difficult if we go down to Alert Level 1, the economy is fully opened up, then there is a moratorium on public construction. Thatās absurd.
