PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the opening of face-to-face (F2F) classes will create a positive impact on the recovery of the transportation, retail and labor sectors, which were badly affected by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
In his weekly vlog, Marcos said the transportation sector will benefit from the opening of classes since the majority of the students commute on their way to their respective schools.
The resumption of in-person classes will also boost the retail industry as parents are seen to spend more on their student’s school supplies as well as food.
Marcos said as children are expected to spend more time in school, parents will be able to work more, which means an increase in workforce.
“Pag ito ay naging matagumpay, hindi lang ito balik-eskwela kundi balik-negosyo, balik-hanapbuhay at balik-kaunlaran,” he said.
(If this will become successful, this would not only mean the resumption of schools but a resumption of businesses, livelihood and prosperity.)
“Ito ay masasabi ring malaking tulong sa malakwakang kilusan natin ng pagbubukas ng ekonomiya...Maraming industriya ang makikibahagi at makikinabang sa hakbang na ito kung kaya’t dapat nating siguruhin na ang lahat ay handing handa,” he added.
(This can also mean a big help in our broad movement of economic opening... Many industries will participate and benefit from this step, so we must make sure that everyone is ready.)
For this purpose, Marcos said the government through the Department of Health (DOH) launched the “PinasLakas,” a campaign that aims to increase the country’s Covid-19 booster vaccination.
He urged the public to get Covid-19 booster doses to ensure continuous economic recovery amid the resumption of F2F classes.
Currently, over 71 million individuals in the country have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Marcos said 15.9 million of them received their first booster dose while only 1.2 million got their second booster shots.
He said it is “not a good number yet,” as the country aims to administer booster doses to all fully vaccinated individuals to increase their immunity against the virus.
The President seeks the help of local government units in strengthening the booster dose vaccination in their respective areas. (SunStar Philippines)