PHL’S comprehensive socioeconomic package on Covid-19 response tackled in HRC meeting
GEneva—ambassador Evan P. Garcia, the Philippines’s permanent representative to the United Nations, disclosed during a Human Rights Council (HRC) meeting on April 9 with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet the country’s subsidy scheme to support marginalized families and individuals adversely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak.
Garcia emphasized the government’s P200-billion ($3.9-billion) emergency subsidy program— “considered as the most comprehensive in Philippine history”—to support 18 million low-income households, as the country undertook measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The measures include a P27-billion [$542-million] economic package for affected workers and establishments, farmers and fisherfolks [as well as] micro, small and medium enterprises, among others,” the Filipino ambassador noted.
The virtual meeting was convened through Zoom via live UN webcast to discuss measures at the national, regional and global levels for the management of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially on vulnerable sectors of the society.
Garcia affirmed the Philippines’s support for the high commissioner’s efforts to call for stronger international cooperation during and after the pandemic, drawing attention to the disproportionate toll of the crisis on vulnerable sectors and developing countries.
Bachelet pointed out that the impact of the pandemic on developing countries could be greater, “as a large portion of the population rely on daily income to survive.” These economies, she said, “have less capacity to absorb and mitigate the economic and social impact of the epidemic” and are most vulnerable to the resulting global recession.
Greater inclusivity, synergy
GARCIA pointed out that the comprehensive national Covid-19 response of the Philippines continues to place due priority to supporting the vulnerable sectors of the population and managing the social and economic impact of the pandemic. He also shared that the country has positively considered modestly contributing within its means to global emergency appeals for response to Covid-19.
The envoy also underlined the need for attention and decisive global response to address the vulnerabilities of migrants and refugees in this situation, pointing out that “this global, crosscutting emergency has sharpened the demand for greater inclusivity and synergy in multilateral action, serving as a test of how recent [worldwide] agreements on migration and refugees work on the ground.”
He also informed the council that President Duterte declared on March 18 a unilateral cease-fire against the Communist Party of the Philippines-new People’s Armynational Democratic Front, even before the UN Secretary-general called for a global cease-fire on March 23.
The Filipino diplomat added it was regrettable that the insurgent groups had violated and exploited the cease-fire with their killings of indigenous peoples, attacks against government frontliners, as well as political agitation and exploitation of vulnerable groups.
In line with the concerns and priorities discussed by Bachelet and the vast majority of states, Garcia underscored the imperatives of ensuring that actions are geared toward strengthening the HRC “as a platform for effecting real-world transformations through information sharing and open dialogue, constructive cooperation, technical cooperation and capacity-building.” Human-rights first
IN an earlier statement on March 6, Bachelet called on states to place human rights front and center of the Covid-19 response and to share information on efforts to mitigate its socioeconomic impacts.
The Philippines, through a March 17 letter, imparted practices and measures taken to halt the spread of the pandemic and to alleviate the negative socioeconomic effects on the Filipino people. It highlighted that its national Covid-19 response and measures are fully compliant with international human-rights laws and standards as well as national laws, further underscoring that such measures correspond to the state of the Philippine health system and pandemic preparedness and response capacities and pay attention to mitigating the disease’s disproportionate impact to the vulnerable sectors. The country also cited its compliance with the reportorial requirements of the International Health Regulations and its consistent exercise of transparency in the management of the pandemic in the local setting.