THE PHILIPPINE ECONOMY is expected to grow at 4.2% this year as stricter restriction measures due to rising coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases are seen to dent recovery, ANZ Research said.  

The firm’s new gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast is slower than the 4.8% estimate it gave previously and is also below the government’s 6-7% target. 

ANZ Research’s forecast for the Philippines is better than its outlook for Indonesia (3.8%), Malaysia (4%), and Thailand (1%). Only its projection for Singapore was retained in this report at 6.6%, with the firm saying that growth indicators in the country are still within expectations despite restriction measures there. 

The six Southeast Asian economies are now expected to grow by 3.9% in 2021, slower than the previous estimate of 4.6%. 

Meanwhile, ANZ Research expects the Philippine economy to expand by 6.2% in 2022, also slower than the 6.5% forecast it gave earlier. 

The economy contracted by 9.6% in 2020, the steepest drop seen in Southeast Asia. The economy remains in recession as GDP shrank by 4.2% in the first quarter. 

The Philippine Statistics Authority will report the second quarter GDP data on Aug. 10. 

Intensified restrictions in Southeast Asia have caused “substantive damage to the recovery,” ANZ Research Chief Economist for Southeast Asia and India Sanjay Mathur said in a note on Friday. 

He particularly noted that restrictions in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia are “routinely reimposed or extended”. 

“The channels through which the recovery is being impacted are well-known — diminished consumer confidence, excessive slack in the service industries such as recreation and tourism, and the waning efficacy of expansionary fiscal and monetary policies,” Mr. Mathur said. 

Metro Manila and other provinces where cases are spiking are under the strictest form of lockdown from Aug. 6 to 20 to curb the further spread of the more infectious Delta variant of COVID-19. 

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said last week that the two-week Metro Manila lockdown alone could cause the country to lose more than P200 billion. 

As many as 177,000 Filipinos are also expected to sink into poverty and 444,000 could lose their jobs, he said, citing estimates from the National Economic and Development Authority. — L.W.T. Noble 

THE National Privacy Commission (NPC) has a written a letter to the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), criticizing the business group’s request to suspend data privacy rules for contact tracing. 

ECOP President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr. has been recommending that the government identify people who have tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), encouraging close contacts to disclose exposure and minimizing government spending on contact tracing. 

Several business groups last year asked the government to suspend the Data Privacy Act of 2012 protecting patient confidentiality during the pandemic and transfer the funds for contact tracing to repurposing schools as quarantine facilities. 

NPC Commissioner Raymund E. Liboro said there is no scientific basis supporting the premise that suspending provisions of the law would be an effective anti-pandemic measure. 

“On the contrary, in a study of the World Health Organization, social stigma associated with COVID-19 negatively impacts the pandemic response since it drives patients to hide their illnesses to avoid discrimination, prevents people from seeking immediate healthcare, and discourages them from adopting healthy behaviors,” he said in a letter to ECOP dated July 30. 

“Our experience last year is telling. We have seen incidents of discrimination, online bullying, stoning, physical assaults, and even chemical dousing incidents against suspected COVID positive individuals — all of which are more harmful than the virus itself.” 

The commission said the Data Privacy Act allows for and does not hinder the processing of personal and sensitive personal information for contact tracing. 

Mr. Liboro said no jurisdiction in the world has so far suspended data privacy rules for contact tracing. 

“Contact tracing requires an in-depth investigation and a systematic process of identifying contact points, performed only by trained experts. The ECOP’s suggestion for a do-it-yourself (DIY) contact tracing is not a methodology backed by science, nor experience,” he said. 

Waiving privacy rights, he said, is “dangerous and may have far reaching implications beyond contact tracing and the pandemic response.” 

In response, ECOP’s Mr. Ortiz-Luis said in a phone interview on Friday that “you might not find any scientific basis, but simple common sense will tell us that we are having difficulty with contact tracing…” 

“We are spending billions for contact tracing when by simply suspending only that part of the Data Privacy Act that will be used for contact tracing will make sense to save lives, to save money for the country,” he said. — Jenina P. Ibañez 

PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCES remain low among telecom and media products even as Filipino consumers are more likely to spend on these services, a survey found. 

A survey released by Coleman Parks Research commissioned by media software services provider Amdocs found that 87% of Filipino consumers are more likely to increase spending on highly personalized online shopping and payment experiences. 

As many as 74% would switch providers for a customer experience “that adapts to their changing needs,” according to a press release on Friday. 

The research firm collected responses from 600 customers and 100 chief marketing officers (CMOs) in the Philippines from February to May. 

The company found that 91% of Philippine CMOs recognize that products and services tailored to individual needs would positively impact consumer retention, but only 20% of them deliver “holistic” personalized experiences.  

Almost 80% said communications service providers are not providing such personalized experiences in sales, marketing, and customer care. 

Technology is the main barrier to this shift, with 77% of executives surveyed citing this as a concern, while 75% said senior stakeholder resistance to change and a belief that there is no need to further invest in personalization hinder these efforts. Meanwhile, 40% said their budget is the main barrier. 

“Today’s digital consumers keep evolving their benchmark experiences against the best apps and service experiences. All apps are a click away, so consumers do not distinguish between industries — the last best app you used sets your expectation benchmark for the next one,” Amdocs Chief Marketing Officer Gil Rosen said. 

“Communications service providers do not compete within their category; they compete against all apps and amazing experiences being provided every day by new and existing players. Even dating and gaming apps serve as a benchmark as well as the obvious suspects from the online shopping, banks or any other incumbent service providers — it creates the need for service providers to constantly strive to match those experiences.” 

Although Filipino consumers want data-driven personalized experiences, 74% want their communications service providers to be clear about personal data collection and use. Almost half believe that personalized interactions were created to mine data from them. 

“Communication service providers must take advantage of the fact that consumers are willing to share their data to get an advanced personalized experience tailored to their expectations. However, before this happens, they must improve their quality of service and instill trust in their customers about how their data will be used, and break down internal silos between marketing, sales, and customer care,” Coleman Parkes Director Stephen Saw said. — Jenina P. Ibañez 

THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) said on Friday that it will expedite the issuance of food passes to fish suppliers and producers as it assured the public of “unhampered” delivery of food products amid the lockdown. 

“The DA-BFAR has directed its workforce to streamline the issuance of food pass(es) and make the process more efficient and accessible to fish producers and suppliers,” it said in a statement. 

“(We are) mobilizing its fishery law enforcers on the ground with a directive to coordinate with other concerned government agencies in ensuring the smooth implementation of food pass,” the bureau added. 

Food passes are vehicular passes issued by the Agriculture department for the entry and exit of food and agri-fishery products within quarantine areas in Luzon. These are granted to qualified food suppliers, delivery truckers and logistics providers with valid business permits, and are passing through Metro Manila and other areas under lockdown. 

DA-BFAR said its technical unit Fisheries Inspection and Quarantine Division is in charge of issuing new food passes. Suppliers interested in securing a pass can contact the mobile no. 09363213401 or send an email to fiqd.ltpfoodpass@gmail.com. 

Meanwhile, holders of valid food passes can use them to transport products to markets in the capital and other areas. 

On Friday, the agency also assured the public of “unhampered and sufficient supply of fishery products” after the government placed the National Capital Region and other areas under varying levels of lockdown to prevent the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus. — A.Y. Yang