BY ARGYLL GEDUCOS
President Duterte said that the countries in the world can use the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to establish a “new normal” as he stressed that it is never too early to think of a bounce-back strategy.
Duterte made the statement as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the second time this year at its 31st Special Session in Response to the COVID-19 Friday.
In his remarks, Duterte acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from being over but said that there is already light at the end of the tunnel.
“The end to this pandemic is still difficult to see. Yet the broad outlines of the horizon are breaking through,” he said.
“Let us seize this opportunity to establish a “new normal” using lessons from this crisis,” he added.
According to the President, every country can already start thinking of how to recover from the effects of the pandemic, saying the Philippines aims for a comprehensive and inclusive recovery with no one left behind.
“We are using all available socio-economic instruments to protect our hard-won gains in development,” he said.
Duterte said the country’s recovery plan is built on solid macroeconomic and fiscal fundamentals, with a funding allocation equivalent to 9.1 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In his speech, Duterte said the lockdowns have forced the Philippines to take advantage of technology and innovation.
“It has sped up the adoption of e-commerce, e-learning, videoconferencing, and artificial intelligence,” he said.
The President likewise said the pandemic has inadvertently opened greener and more resilient pathways to growth and development and laid bare how interconnected societies have become.
Despite these steps, Duterte said that solidarity and cooperation between countries are still important to recover from the pandemic as one.
