Majority of the presidential aspirants vowed to prioritize helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as propping up the agriculture sector to help the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the first Comelec-sponsored debate, Vice President Leni Robredo said she will push for a P100 billion stimulus package for MSMEs, which she said account for 5.7 million employees in the country.
“The P100 billion stimulus fund should be available to MSMEs. This will constitute cash grants, low interest loans, and capacity building,” she said, noting how some 76,000 MSMEs had to stop operations due to the pandemic.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said in the 2022 national budget, there is already an allocation of P2 billion under the Small Banking Corp. and another P2 billion for an agricultural guarantee fund, but these have not been maximized.
For PROMDI standard bearer Manny Pacquiao, the government should extend zero-interest loans to MSMEs so they could restart or expand their own businesses and generate more jobs for fellow Filipinos.
Labor leader Ka Leody de Guzman, for his part, said he will prioritize the agriculture sector to ensure food security.
“On our first year, we will focus on revitalizing agriculture to provide enough food on the table for the public because many young people now are malnourished, many are hungry so we need to address that,” De Guzman said.
Former presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said he will strive to make the Philippines an agricultural powerhouse to provide more food and create more jobs.
Abella and De Guzman both called for the scrapping of the Rice Tariffication Law, which they said has negatively impacted farmers.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, his administration will also focus on the agriculture sector.
“The most important economy is the economy of the stomach. There should be food for every Filipino family,” Domagoso said.
Former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales said job creation is key to spur economic recovery.
“I think the first thing that all our countrymen are thinking now is how to have livelihood again so they can feed their families and make their lives normal again,” Gonzales said.
Dr. Jose Montemayor Jr. said sound fiscal and monetary policies are needed to hasten recovery while businessman Faisal Mangondato vowed to strengthen the economy to address the gaps in various sectors.