At Least 90,000 Businesses Remain Closed Due to Coronavirus

Ramon Lopez, Trade Secretary, announced that at least 90,000 businesses in the Philippines remain closed due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Between August and September, 6% of 1.4 million micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) remain closed.

Lopez stated “Six percent is a big number because that should be zero,”

He added “It’s true that it’s still not a rosy picture pagdating sa (when it comes to) business confidence and unemployment,”

“I am not against the lockdown. It helped us reduce the statistics [of COVID-19]… My only hope is hindi na natin dapat patagalin pa (we should no longer prolong it),”

Lopez added “I understand it is not a popular appeal especially to health workers but if we keep enforcement still strict… I believe we can safely reopen,”

“If we reopen more, allow more workers to come in, we can bring back jobs and income that will stimulate economy,” says Lopez.