The month of October marks the initial stage for Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s “Phase 3” plan to address the pandemic. And while the latest data from the Department of Health revealed that 29% of newly reported Covid-19 cases come from Metro Manila, the third phase is aiming for more people to leave their homes and more businesses being allowed to operate under several safety protocols.
As a symbol of solidarity with this plan, a multi-sectoral public-private consortium called Taskforce T3 launched the “Ingat Angat Tayong Lahat” campaign. To jumpstart the economy and revitalize consumption, the campaign encourages Filipinos to resume to their normal activities pre-pandemic while businesses increase their operations.
To bolster consumer confidence, Taskforce T3 is adamant on observing strict health protocols to ensure the health and safety of consumers. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) secretary Ramon M. Lopez seconded this initiative and agreed to the idea of businesses banding together to win back consumer patronage.
“At this point in managing the Covid-19 pandemic, balancing health and the economy is our main priority. This is why we are pushing for the gradual and safe reopening of the economy. In line with the spirit of the campaign, we can only move forward by supporting and keeping one another safe while protecting lives and livelihoods,” said Lopez.
The consortium works closely with the Department of Health (DOH), the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19, and the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). As a founding partner of Taskforce T3, Ayala Corporation chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala highlighted the importance of cooperation between the public and private sectors in moving forward to the “New Normal”.
Formed last April, Taskforce T3 boasts its donations from the private sector that closed the gaps in building new laboratories and swabbing facilities. The group also adds that the country’s 30,000 daily tests can be traced to the private sector’s efforts in obtaining millions of testing kits.
“The private sector has found a new front where we can be supportive of the fight against COVID, and that is in restoring the confidence of our citizens that we can all resume our lives and livelihoods, so long as we strictly follow the minimum health standards recommended by health experts,” Lopez said.
Business owners can download safety standard templates for print, poster, billboard, signages and wallpapers on the “Ingat Angat” website. They can also apply their brand’s unique color scheme to the “Ingat Angat Tayong Lahat” logo generator.
