Hontiveros: Inclusivity key in reducing inequality under new normal

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday stressed the importance of harnessing inclusivity as the country attempts to take the path of recovery from the various impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a virtual forum, Ateneo School of Government Dean Ronald Mendoza said the challenge to the present generation is no longer simply to reduce poverty but to reduce inequality in all its forms to achieve political stability, crisis resilience, and sustained economic development.

Hontiveros agreed with Mendoza and said that engaging the people  "side by side" instead of subscribing to the top-down governance approach would be an important step to take.

"Inclusivity and social cohesion are some of the most important building blocks of reducing inequality. I cannot stress how important inclusivity is especially during times of crisis like this pandemic in which  people are not just looking for information but are trying to cling to some semblance of order and normalcy. But are we reaching out to our people?" the senator said.

"And if there was a time to measure just how inclusive we are as a society and how much more work needs to be done, the past six months should be a good enough gauge," she added.

Hontiveros stressed that the Filipinos' shared visions for the future of the country or the so-called new normal would remain only as a "mere potential" if inclusivity would not be practiced.

In previous months, the opposition senator urged the government to come up with a cohesive COVID-19 response instead of implementing policies without consultations.

The government should also stop using the health crisis as a "cover'" to trample on the rights of the people, she added.

Mendoza, during his lecture, warned that crises can turn into "inequality machines" if the most vulnerable sectors are not properly protected.

"Under lockdown, there is a deep divide between technology haves and have-nots, creating a demarcation in resilience and crisis-coping across students, workers, firms, and communities... Crisis responses that strengthen systems such as those that provide adequate social protection, education and health services also preserve the economy's main ingredients for inclusive and robust growth for the longer haul," he said.

"Otherwise, crises are accompanied by non-inclusive recovery which then feeds the bad inequality that weakens some of the key factors behind long-run growth," he added.—AOL, GMA News