"The government can begin by experimenting on a limited basis."
"The government can begin by experimenting on a limited basis."
Today, I quote almost verbatim the letter of the Management Association of the Philippines to Department of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Arturo Tugade for the normalization of the public transport system in Metro Manila, starting, initially, with the LRDT/MRT and Philippine National Railways. The MAP letter was signed by lawyer Francis Lim, president and Ruy Y. Moreno, chair of the MAP Traffic, Transportation and Infra Committee.
MAP wants some 2.4 million essential but idled workers in the national capital to be provided public transportation so they can report for work.
During the current lockdown or the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), essential industries are allowed to operate, although using only part of or their skeletal work force.
These industries and services include those in health care, security, banking, supermarkets and grocery stores, public markets, drugstores, takeout or delivery restaurants, food, medicine and hygiene products, logistics, telecommunications, energy, utilities, capital markets, media, BPO, diplomatic corps, and civil aviation.
Due to the lack of public transportation (buses and LRT/MRT particularly), MAP said, these industries and sectors have not been able to start operations and, even if some have been able to do so, it has been very minimal.
The lack of public transportation “has adversely affected the workers in terms of lack of income, low production for companies and low level in the provision of services, non-payment of invoices for goods delivered and services provided due to the absence of authorized personnel to process, approve, sign and release payments—these are some of the contributors to the country’s economic “malaise” and stress the need for business continuity to avoid closures and layoffs.”
The Philippines has a total workforce, in July 2019, of 42.925 million of which 5.4 million are in the NCR. The vast majority or more than 2.4 million of this NCR workforce cannot go to work due to the lockdown.
The 2.4 million include 595,650 in manufacturing, 557,745 in accommodation and food services, 550,000 in BPO, 308,655 in public administration and defense, 151,620 in information and communications, 124,545 in finance and insurance, 113,715 in human health and social work, 11,625 in selected supermarkets, and 5,415 in water supply and sewerage.
MAP suggests that public transportation in NCR be provided on a graduated and phase-by-phase basis starting with 245,000 persons (estimate for a skeletal force), with the number increasing gradually as the COVID-19 curve flattens and allows the opening of more companies and businesses and more workers and daily wage earners are able to work while continuously following COVID-19 protection protocol.
Eventually, with normalization, the 5.4 million workers of Metro Manila will all be able to report for work. Just when, nobody knows.
Calibrating the return to regular work of the 5.4 million at 250,000 per tranche requires a lot of coordination and planning and many players, both inw the private sector and in the government. State offices to be involved are: IACT, DTI, DILG (PNP and LGUs), DOTr (LTFRB, LTO, PNR), DOF (Customs, BIR), BSP (banking), and Agriculture.