With the country dealing with unemployment as a consequence of the adverse economic impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles has appealed to the public to adopt a “country first” or #PinasMunaTayo mindset to help Filipino industries and businesses get back on their feet and continue employment of their workers.
Speaking on Wednesday at the “Flattening the Unemployment Curve” webinar organized by Viventis Search Asia and the People Management Association of the Philippines, Nograles said “bayanihan will help us overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, and bayanihan will help us rise above the challenges of its lingering effects.”
“The #PinasMunaTayo campaign encourages us to spend or invest in our country.”
“As a nation we have to help each other not just to survive, but to thrive––and this requires a collective effort to revive and jumpstart our economy.”
According to the Palace official, initiatives like the #PinasMunaTayo campaign launched by the government and private sector on June 12, are needed to encourage everyone to support local industries and businesses that employ millions of workers.
Nograles stressed that historically, “our country’s economic growth has been fueled by domestic consumption; put simply, the more money we spend here, the more our country and our people benefit.”
“The #PinasMunaTayo campaign encourages us to spend or invest in our country, and it has three components: TriPinas to encourage domestic tourism to aid the tourism industry; ShoPinas to encourage the public to buy local products to support the retail sector; and LasaPinas to reinforce love for country with the experience of local food and hospitality,” explained the Palace official.
“Our country’s economic growth has been fueled by domestic consumption.”
The Philippine tourism sector employs an estimated 5.4 million people in transport, accommodations, and food and beverages industries. The retail industry, on the other hand, employs close to half a million workers.
The former lawmaker from Davao said the government would do everything in its power to help support Filipino businesses, but added that Filipinos should do their part and patronize these businesses.
“Sino-sino pa ang magtutulungan kundi tayo? Kailan pa tayo magtutulungan kundi ngayon?”
The #PinasMunaTayo campaign is an initiative spearheaded by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alliance Global Group Inc., and Resorts World Manila (RWM), together with several government agencies including the Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Science and Technology (DoST).