Pangilinan wants gov’t assistance for MSME vaccination programs

Senator Francis Pangilinan on Monday called on the government to look into the possibility of reimbursing companies for the costs incurred to vaccinate employees against COVID-19.

In his opening statement during a Senate hearing, Pangilinan said more support should be given to micro, small, and medium enterprises, whether in the form of subsidies or reimbursing COVID-19 expenses.

“Base sa Committee of the Whole hearing, gagastusan naman ng gobyerno ang mga bakunang ito. Baka maaring ma-reimburse ‘yung mga gastos ng small and medium enterprises na ngayon pa lang ay gumagastos na dito sa mga bakunang ito,” said Pangilinan, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship.

[Based on a Committee of the Whole hearing, the government will spend for the vaccines. Maybe it can reimburse the expenses of the small and medium enterprises that are already spending for the vaccines.]

Latest data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) show that MSMEs account for 99.52% of the total 1.003 million business establishments in the country in 2018.

Micro enterprises are defined as those with total assets worth less than P50,000; cottage enterprises with assets worth P50,001 to P500,000; small with P500,001 to P5 million; and medium from over P5 million to P20 million.  

The Philippines has received over 16 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines so far as of June 27, versus the estimated population of 109 million. Majority of the vaccines have been procured by the government, while the private sector has acquired its own to be inoculated to employees.

The first batch of the vaccines procured by the private sector — from Moderna — arrived in the Philippines late Sunday, June 27.

“We must come together, address the challenges of micro, small, and medium enterprises so that we can finally move towards a new normal that is addressing unemployment, hunger, and joblessness,” said Pangilinan.

Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicates that there were 4.14 million unemployed Filipinos in April, up from 3.44 million in March. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/RSJ, GMA News