The government is optimistic that the economy of the country will be able to recover more this 2021.
According to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez, many businesses, especially the digitally related ones, have registered before the end of 2020.
“Kung dati’y less than 2,000 [or] 1,700 ang registered as of March, ay umakyat na ito sa mga 88,000 toward November (It was less than 2,000 or 1,700 registered as of March, and it increased to 88,000 toward November),” Lopez disclosed.
“Ang mga kababayan natin, likas na entrepreneurial. Humahanap ng paraan para rin talaga maka-survive (Our countrymen are naturally entrepreneurial. They find ways to survive),” Lopez observed.
He however advised cautiousness in opening businesses and in easing of age restrictions of individuals allowed to step out of their homes, saying that minimum health standards must be observed.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has assured on Friday that it will strengthen its monitoring on the compliance of workplaces with the minimum health standards amid the expected reopening of more sectors this year.
DOLE Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez reported that the compliance rate of the 72,000 workplaces they inspected last year was only at 77 percent.
“Puwede po tayong magpataw ng multa sa halagang ₱10,000 hanggang ₱100,000 kada araw ng pag-violate nila ng occupational safety and health standards (We will impose a penalty of ₱10,000 to ₱100,000 per day for violating occupational safety and health standards),” Benavidez warned.
Meanwhile, the DOLE is proposing the inclusion of minimum wage earners among the priorities of the country’s vaccine rollout. – Report from Kenneth Paciente
