Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano wants the government to turn provinces into “new centers of development” to help the country recover from the crippling coronavirus pandemic. 

This was among the marching orders of the Speaker to his colleagues to help combat the COVID-19 crisis as the 18th Congress opened its 2nd regular session on Monday morning, July 27.

In his speech, Cayetano said lawmakers must move to help strengthen the agriculture, tourism, and the manufacturing sectors and make “robust investments” in infrastructure so these could become primary sources of livelihood for Filipinos left jobless by the pandemic.

“Let us look to the provinces as the new centers of development. COVID-19 has shown us the weak underbelly of our big cities. How easily they can be brought to their knees – and with it the whole nation – by disease and infection. We should never allow ourselves to be caught off guard again,” Cayetano said. 

For the Taguig City-Pateros 1st District congressman, experts and government should come together to design and develop these new growth centers.

“This is a clarion call for our urban planners, engineers, and architects: the government needs your ideas. Help us build a better Philippines by decongesting our cities and spreading the wealth to every island,” said the Speaker.

Cayetano also wants to help the ailing creative industry by co-filing a bill this week that would establish a new Department of Arts and Culture. 

“Hand in hand with this, we must look towards revitalizing the Philippine creative industry, once the envy of Asia, but now a mere shadow of its former glory. This week the House leadership is filing a bill that will establish the Department of Arts and Culture so that instead of being a casualty of COVID-19, Filipino creativity and artistry will be an integral part of our arsenal for recovery,” said Cayetano.

The Philippine Statistics Authority previously said unemployment soared to 17.7% in April, equivalent to around 7.3 million jobless Filipinos. (READ: In Duterte’s 4th year, COVID-19 causes highest unemployment on record)

The House has since passed a P1.5-trillion stimulus package that would fund infrastructure projects in rural areas for the next 3 years. It is designed to provide jobs to Filipinos left unemployed by the lockdowns imposed in parts of the country.

This is on top of another P1.3-trillion economic stimulus package also proposed by the House to help small businesses get back on their feet. 

In the same speech, the Speaker said government services for returning overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) must be improved as they will play a crucial role in helping develop industries in the provinces. 

“Let us take this opportunity to bring our kababayans (countrymen) home, not in boxes, but as the conquering heroes that they are. Properly supported and given the right opportunities, these returning OFWs will form the first wave of our offensive in the countryside,” said Cayetano.

‘Wartime’ preparations vs COVID-19

The Speaker ended his speech by asking lawmakers to approach the problems caused by COVID-19 “as if we are at war.”

“We must approach this problem and prepare as if we are at war, which to a large extent we are – not with a foreign aggressor, but with an unseen enemy that shows no mercy, gives no quarter, and takes no prisoners,” Cayetano said. 

“In the face of an evolving enemy and a fluid battleground, Congress needs to continue to adapt, innovate, and manage if we are to stay above water until a vaccine or a cure is found,” he added. 

The Speaker delivered his speech ahead of President Rodrigo Duterte’s 5th State of the Nation Address at 4 pm, when Duterte is expected to present his government’s COVID-19 recovery plan.

The Duterte administration has been heavily criticized for its lacking response to the health crisis, where over 80,000 have been infected with the disease. (READ: Duterte to deliver SONA amid fear, dissent in pandemic-hit Philippines)

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 1,932 people in the Philippines. Still, 26,110 patients have already recovered from COVID-19. – Rappler.com