MANILA, Philippines – Former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo advised the government of her ally President Rodrigo Duterte to begin shifting its focus to helping the economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Arroyo made the suggestion during the House committee on economic affairs’ meeting on Thursday, June 25, as she discussed how her government had contained the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) crisis in 2003.

“My own personal sense is that in the dilemma between health concerns and economic concerns, after having imposed what some refer to as the longest lockdown in the world, the balance should be tipped towards economic concerns,” said Arroyo.

She also said the country is ready to do so now that more than 550,000 people have been tested, citing data from National Task Force on COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. The Department of Health tracker showed 580,560 individuals have been tested as of June 23. 

“The ratio of fatalities to those positive is less than 4%. We are not doing badly relative to the world,” the former Pampanga congresswoman said.

Arroyo also said Duterte has supposedly showed his willingness “to take a swift strong action when needed,” claiming her ally was “among the first” to ban flights from China and impose a lockdown in March. 

“Thus, if severe consequences result from tipping the balance of the economy, we can be confident the President can take the necessary remedial measures,” said Arroyo.

What the former House speaker failed to mention, however, was that calls for a complete travel ban on China were already mounting long before Duterte decided to impose it.

The ban also initially just covered the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, before Duterte later expanded it to the rest of China and its administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau.

Arroyo’s government had been successful in curbing the spread of SARS, which infected only 14 persons in the Philippines, making it the lowest count among the 30 countries affected by the disease. SARS claimed only two deaths in the country at the time – a Filipino nursing assistant visiting from Canada and her father. 

In contrast, the Duterte administration has long been taking the heat for its response to the more formidable COVID-19, which has infected 33,069 and killed 1,212 people in the country as of Thursday. (READ: How does COVID-19 compare to SARS and MERS?)

Vice President Leni Robredo said the government is now playing catch-up in fighting the pandemic because it was too complacent in the beginning of the health crisis.

But Arroyo disagrees, saying she has the “highest respect” for Duterte, Galvez, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and all frontliners.

“It is easy to criticize when you are seated on the sidelines, but when you are the actual gladiator in the arena, the perspective is very different,” the former president said. 

“From the perspective of someone who was heading our government during the SARS crisis, I must say that I have nothing but the highest respect for all of those in our government who are now battling in the arena, from President Duterte, to Secretary Carlito Galvez of the [NTF], to Health Secretary Francisco Duque, to each and every frontliner in the trenches and the checkpoints, many of whom have given their lives in this fight,” Arroyo added.

Appeal to lawmakers, economic managers

In the same speech, Arroyo reminded lawmakers and Duterte’s economic managers to work together to come up with an effective fiscal policy.

“On differences of opinion on fiscal matters between Congress and the executive’s economic team, procedurally the Congress position should be the starting base from which the economic team can come up with proposals on how to narrow any such fiscal gap that emerges,” Arroyo said.

“The decisive factor will be implementation. This involves constructive discussions within government to arrive at the final economic program, executive management to implement the program, and congressional oversight to ensure the quality of implementation,” Arroyo said. 

To date, none of the economic stimulus packages passed by the House – one focused on helping small businesses get back on their feet and the other aimed at providing jobs through infrastructure projects – have been prioritized by the President.  

Duterte would instead ask Congress to convene in a special session to pass the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act or Bayanihan 2, which aims to extend the validity of coronavirus programs and interventions laid out under Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.

The House and the Senate versions of Bayanihan 2, however, have different amounts set for the standby fund for COVID-19 response.

Senators pegged it at P140 billion, but the House is proposing a much higher amount of P162 billion.

But Duterte’s own economic managers said the amount should only be P130 billion since that is all the government can fund. The 18th Congress adjourned sine die on June 5 with neither chamber passing Bayanihan 2. – Rappler.com