Robredo underscores employers’ role in building better normal

Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday underscored the role of employers in transitioning to a better normal as Filipinos continue to bear the economic consequences brought about by COVID-19.

In her message at the 42nd National Conference of Employers, Robredo said it is not only the government but also the employers' role to uplift the lives of Filipinos.

"It is through the stability that such values create that outcomes become predictable—that horizons become more visible, and that we are able to plan and execute our strategies for the future," the vice president said in the forum organized by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines.

"Our task is clear: To widen the reach of our empathy; to direct all our actions towards our fellowmen; to understand that ultimately, our destinies are intertwined. To assert that good governance matters; it has always mattered. And while the government has significant work ahead, you will be on the frontlines as we continue to pave the way towards a better normal," she added.

To help rebuild the economy, Robredo said, employers must be open to inclusivity by opening its industries to the most vulnerable or marginalized sectors of the community.

"The way for everyone to thrive will be to ensure that the energies of our economy flow freely and with purpose – from the bottom up, from the daily wage earner and street vendor, to the big and small businesses, from the margins to the center," the vice president said.

Robredo cited US President Joe Biden's model, the American Jobs Plan, which supports the economic status of Americans, including women of all races and men of color, who lost their jobs in the pandemic.

"President Biden’s economic reset emanates from marginalized workers, women and minorities, and from those who suffered the brunt of the pandemic’s impact. Researchers predict that it could become one of the most effective laws to fight poverty in a generation," Robredo noted.

"The plan’s provisions, which include a generous expansion of tax credits for low-income Americans with children, is estimated to reduce the poverty rate in US by more than a quarter for adults and the child poverty rate in half," she added.

It can be recalled that the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported the country's fourth-quarter 2020 Gross Domestic Product at -8.3%, seen as the worst performance based on all available data. — BM, GMA News