Reviving the Philippine Economy under a Responsible New Normal

After the reclassification of areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to general community quarantine (GCQ), the urgent task for the Philippine government is to provide an exit plan to revive the Philippine economy. Given the significant economic damage resulting from the shutdown of roughly 75 percent of the country’s total production in the National Capital Region (NCR) and in the CALABARZON and Central Luzon areas, a gradual reopening of the economy will be necessary to prevent further economic damage that could not only be difficult to repair, but also long to overcome. Indeed, based on recent directives from the government, a substantial number of industries and services have thus been allowed to operate in both the ECQ and GCQ areas. However, as the Philippine government begins to calibrate the opening of sectors, there remain concerns as to how this process will affect jobs and livelihoods now and beyond. In this context, an economic recovery plan that talks about short-term, a transition, and full recovery phases— encompassing a revision of the current Philippine Development Plan without losing sight of the long-term goals envisioned in Ambisyon Natin 2040— is still needed. Indeed, a key component of AmBisyon 2040 has been of building resiliency over the long-term, which includes resiliency in health and economic shocks apart from natural disasters. At the same time, this recovery plan should also be accompanied by structural reforms to enhance its implementation. The Department of Finance has crafted a four-pillar socio-economic strategy aimed at: (a) supporting the more vulnerable sectors of society; (b) increasing medical resources to contain the virus and offer safety to front-liners; (c) keeping the economy afloat through financial emergency initiatives; and (d) creating jobs and sustaining the economy. Yet while enumerating the costs of these plans, the said strategy lacked details on how the country could achieve some of the goals without the availability of widespread testing and adequate health facilities. Loan guarantees, cash transfers, and other forms of subsidies can revive disrupted supply chains but cannot restore productivity in the middle of a persisting health crisis, while the uncertainty of a possible outbreak can keep workers from supplying goods and services. It is crucial to have these programs and institutions in place since a number of cities, regions and provinces have started to reopen. A modified community quarantine without the necessary health system investments, protection measures, and economic recovery plan risks amounting to an unregulated herd immunity strategy. Opting for herd immunity allows governments to blame the failure of the health and economic system on the virus, rather than on bad governance. Under current GCQ protocols, the burden on containing the virus is mostly transferred to the public. Unless the government provides mass testing, the problem of information is aggravated, probably raising the transmission risks. Moreover, unregulated herd immunity will be differentially felt by the poor. As healthy workers may recover their earnings from the modified quarantine, the poor, who have limited access to the health services and are thus more susceptible to the virus, are unlikely to benefit from this system. In effect, this will only exacerbate the inequality that prevails in the country. Moving towards a responsible new normal requires a strategy that addresses both people’s wellbeing and the socio-economic weaknesses exposed by COVID-19. Thus, the strategy should have the following elements

An ergonomic workstation design for the tightening operators of JAD Co., Inc.

Executive Summary. The thesis study is about an ergonmically designed workstation for the tightening operators of JAD Company. It mainly focuses on the task of the tightening workers and its workstation. It has been found from several tools and method for analysis that the current design of the tightening station in the liquid line of JAD Company Inc. is the main source of complaint regarding the musculoskeletal pains being experienced by the operators. The tightening operators complain that they experience pain in the hands (17.44), neck (16.57%), shoulders (15.12%) and in the arms (14.24%). Several related literatures were gathered to provide sufficient resolution to the problem. From these literatures the idea of coming up with a proper workstation design was determined. The method of coming up with the study and all the things undertaken on the duration of the study was also discussed. It explains thoroughly the steps performed in order to attain the completion of the study. On the Design Process, it discusses several design considerations, methodology and product design and feature. Different alternative designs were conceptualize and each were analyzed using the Kepner-Tregoe Analysis. Parts from these alternatives are the different materials available in the market. These materials were analyzed using a Decision Matrix and it determined which material is best and suitable for use in the design. The cost for producing the whole proposed design was also presented. The proposed design was utilized by the tightening operators to see if there are changes or improvement on the pain experienced by the workers. Aside from this, further evaluation and analysis were performed to determine the benefits of the proposed design to the company. After gathering all the information and data, it has been concluded that the proposed work station design improves the posture of the workers and minimizes the pains felt by the workers. It has also been found that the proposed workstation design has benefited the company by increasing its production and reducing the time

Decentralization and Welfare: Evidence From a Panel of Countries

This study empirically tested for the relationship between different measures of decentralization and three indicators of welfare—per capita income, poverty incidence, and the human development index. It utilized a panel data of around 60 countries of various income levels for the ten-year period from 2006 to 2015. The study primarily employed the System GMM method, along with some robustness checks. Results suggest that decentralization is associated with higher per capita income; but it has no relationship with poverty nor with HDI. The relationship, however, is not linear—it increases at a decreasing rate until it becomes negative at high levels of decentralization. In addition, revenue decentralization has the strongest relationship with per capita income among the three decentralization measures tested. There is also evidence that good governance strengthens the positive relationship between decentralization and per capita income; and that the decentralization-welfare relationship varies across country income levels