Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 7) — With the Philippines expanding its vaccine drive to accommodate essential workers, the Trade Department is banking on more Filipinos rolling up their sleeves for COVID-19 shots to bring down national joblessness figures.
“Before pandemic, ang ating unemployment rate ay nasa 4.5 hanggang 5%. ‘Yun po ang ideal level natin, na makabalik man lamang tayo doon,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said during a Palace briefing on Monday.
[Translation: Before pandemic, our unemployment rate stood at 4.5 to 5%. That’s our ideal level, at least we could go back to that.]
The country’s unemployment rate rests at 7.1% as of March, an improvement from February’s 8.8%. However, economic managers cautioned against a “temporary reversal” of employment gains in April given the return of stricter quarantine rules in response to the surge in infections in the National Capital Region Plus area.
“Kapag hindi po sila nagpabakuna, hindi tayo makakasulong sa gusto nating mangyari na tuluy-tuloy na reopening ng ekonomiya at tuluy-tuloy na pagbalik ng ating mga kababayan sa trabaho,” cautioned Lopez.
[Translation: If people won’t get vaccinated, we cannot move forward with our intended continual reopening of the economy and bringing our fellow citizens back to work.]
The government on Monday formally launched the inoculation of economic frontliners, otherwise known as the A4 priority group, in a ceremonial vaccination in Pasay City — a development Lopez calls a “shot in the arm to our economy.” Economic managers have been banking on a speedier, more efficient vaccine rollout to effectively lift the Philippine economy out of a pandemic-induced recession.
The country has earlier prioritized the vaccination of health workers, seniors and people with comorbidities.
The Philippines has administered at least 5.96 million COVID-19 shots. Of that, 1,544,332 individuals have received a second dose, completing their vaccination.
The average daily administered doses is now at 112,621.
