Industry seeks IATF representation
BUSINESSES want to be represented in the government’s task force against the coronavirus.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) on Thursday said businesses have on-the-ground experience that can help the inter-agency task force made up of Cabinet members decide on the right approach to the reopening of businesses.
The country’s largest business organization wants the government to allow economic activities to resume and address the limited mobility of the workforce amid travel restrictions. It also cited local government rules that go against task force guidelines.
They also asked the government to address impractical standards for the workplace, lower consumer confidence and liquidity issues.
“Mandating the use of face shields for workers, the observance of a two-meter physical distancing and the designation of an isolation area of one room for every 200 employees is simply not realistic in a production-line setting,” PCCI President Benedicto V. Yujuico said.
The Labor and Trade departments last week released more safety rules in the workplace to contain a coronavirus pandemic as more economic activities resume. — Jenina P. Ibañez
Palace bucks PhilHealth privatization
THE PRESIDENTIAL palace on Thursday rejected calls to privatize the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. amid allegations of corruption at the agency.
Presidential Spokesman Harry L. Roque, one of the main authors of the Universal Healthcare Act, said the law was enacted to ensure the poor don’t get left behind as far as healthcare is concerned.
Selling universal healthcare service to the private sector defeats the purpose of the law, he said, adding that it’s the government’s obligation to provide it.
Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz A. Quimbo on Wednesday filed a bill seeking to reorganize and privatize the state insurance company after a Senate investigation found anomalies at PhilHealth.
The Universal Healthcare Act, which was enacted last year, automatically makes all Filipinos members of PhilHealth. — Gillian M. Cortez
Agri e-commerce platform launched
THE TOURISM department has partnered with software company Cloud Panda PH for an e-commerce platform for Philippine agricultural products.
The Philippine Harvest website will promote local, artisanal and indigenous food from local farmers and micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, the agency said in a statement on Thursday.
The products may be delivered by the merchants to customers. The online platform includes order tracking, inventory management, product catalogues and links to the businesses’ social media sites.
The Tourism department launched the online leg of its trade fair Philippines Harvest in April. The products, which had since been made available through Grab Philippines, include fruits and vegetables, seafood and beverages.
“Our country’s agricultural harvest is considerably vast, it only needs an effective channel to reach the right consumer,” Cloud Panda PH co-founder Carlito Macadangdang said in the statement. “The technology that we have today can help us achieve that goal.” — Jenina P. Ibañez
