The success of the government’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is key to the quick recovery of the economy, according to engineer Terence R. Uygongco of the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation (ILEDF).
“We are confident nga makabangon gid kita once nga medyo damu na ang mavaccinate sa aton,” said Uygongco in an interview on IMT Conversations.
“Kon ang aton nga lugar medyo damu na ang na-vaccinate, indi na makatransfer (ang virus) kag maigo ang aton mga tawo then dira naton nga amat amat nalang ni sya dula…unless may bag-o naman nga variant,” he added.
Uygongco said the basic fundamentals that Iloilo City needs to recover are already existing –human resource, resilient community, and strong middle class, among others.
The Ilonggo-Chinese businessman is hopeful that Iloilo City will become one of the first cities in the country that vaccinated majority of their people or achieved herd immunity.
“Once damo na na-vaccinate and medyo relax na, I think our economy will pick up either by late this year or early next year,” Uygongco said.
“We need more vaccines in order to sustain our gains,” he added.
As of July 26, almost 14 percent of the total target population in the city have been fully vaccinated, while some 29 percent or 129, 269 persons had their first dose.
Meanwhile, Uygongco said agriculture is one sector that has actually continued to improve despite the pandemic.
There are lot of people who moved to the countryside invested into agri business and backyard farming.
Uygongco said the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II (JRMP II) in Calinog, Iloilo, once operational, is expected to further the agriculture sector.
Considered to be the biggest of its kind outside Luzon, the dam can irrigate more than 30, 000 hectares of farmland in Iloilo and nearby provinces.IMT
