A Filipino statesman and business leader called on a whole-of-society approach in helping revive the Philippine economy from its pandemic-induced recession.
In the recent economic forum, Ambassador Albert del Rosario emphasized the importance of the ‘bayanihan’ approach as essential in the Philippine economic revival from COVID-19. Ambassador del Rosario led the five-day Pilipinas 2020 conference organized by Stratbase ADR Institute. He serves as the Co-Chairman of the Board at Stratbase, along with Manuel V Pangilinan. Ambassador del Rosario is also in the Board of Directors of PLDT, the country’s largest integrated telco.
According to Ambassador del Rosario, the government and the private sector must collaborate to achieve an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery. This includes supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and collaborating with conglomerates to help the economic development of the country. This also aims to enable communities to cope with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Filipino tradition of communal unity and cooperation summed up in the concept of ‘bayanihan’ can help pave the way for a strong rebound to overcome the crisis. Essentially, that ‘bayanihan’ spirit has been the secret of our durability as a people during times of immense difficulties. Because of this, we have survived and recovered from before and so we will survive it again,” Ambassador del Rosario said.
MVP Group at the forefront of COVID-19 solution
According to Ambassador del Rosario, in the Philippines, there is a strong need for a whole-of-society approach in immediate and long-term concerns, especially on matters pertaining to the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on society and the economy.
The MVP Group is at the forefront of being part of the solution with its latest initiative that involves potential storage and warehousing of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) President and CEO Jose Ma. Lim said that the group can provide assistance to the government in terms of the storage and distribution of the vaccine through its logistics arm MetroPac Movers Inc. (MMI).
Earlier this year, the MMI started to build its 52,000-square meter modern logistics hub in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna. It includes both dry goods warehouse and refrigerated warehouse that will offer storage temperatures between +20 to -25 degrees Celsius.
This will be the country’s foremost logistics facility on food safety, storage and handling systems. The company is targeting to launch this within the second quarter of 2021.
Since the lockdown last March 15, the MVP Group has been actively helping and supporting the government in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes distributing food packs and grocery items to the families of frontline health workers and communities; providing PPE equipment to hospitals nationwide; and giving connectivity and communication tools as aid to frontline workers and government agencies.
