Palace assures Filipinos of improved lives in 2021

FILE: Cyclists in their raincoats speed along a bike lane on East Avenue, Quezon City on Thursday (Dec. 10, 2020). (PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler)

MANILA – Malacañang expressed confidence on Wednesday that Filipinos’ lives will improve in 2021, despite the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis that ravaged the Philippine economy.

In a press statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the government’s “Ingat Buhay para sa Hanapbuhay (Protect Life for Livelihood)” campaign would help reboot the country’s economy and allow Filipinos to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Ingat buhay para sa hanapbuhay (Protect life for livelihood) will continue to be our direction in 2021 with the opening of more industries to revitalize our economy and stimulate growth for the betterment of the lives of our people next year and beyond,” Roque said.

Roque’s statement came after the Nov. 21 to 25 survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) found that many Filipinos believe their quality of life got worse in the past 12 months.

The SWS poll revealed that 62 percent of Filipinos felt their life worsened, while only 14 percent were convinced that their life got better this year.

However, the latest number of Filipinos who said their life got worse was lower than the 82 percent recorded in September 2020.

Roque said the poll results no longer came as a surprise since the country is still grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Year 2020 has been a challenging year for the Philippines with lockdowns adversely affecting the socio-economic condition of our people. It is therefore not surprising that the Fourth Quarter Survey of the Social Weather Stations, conducted last November 21 to 25, 2020, showed 62 percent of Filipinos believe that their quality of life got worse in the last twelve months,” he said.

Despite this, Roque was optimistic that Filipinos would feel a comfortable life following the gradual reopening of the economy in the country.

Citing the Philippine Statistics Authority’s October 2020 Labor Force Survey, Roque said the unemployment rate in the country eased to 8.7 percent in October this year from a high of 17.7 percent in April.

“Things are looking up. The economy has reopened which means more livelihood opportunities have become available. This has been felt by our people as it is noteworthy to mention that the latest figure, 62 percent in November 2020, is a marked improvement from the 82 percent of Filipinos who had the same belief last September 2020,” Roque said.

The government has relaxed the quarantine restrictions in the country to allow more businesses to resume their operations amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Filipinos, however, are advised to continue observing proper health protocols to keep them safe from Covid-19.