DTI DENIES DEALERSHIPS’ REQUEST TO CLASSIFY THEM AS ‘ESSENTIAL’

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez on Wednesday denied an appeal by automotive dealers to re-open despite offering ways to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 in their showrooms. In a letter sent to Willy Tee Ten, president of Philippine Automotive Dealers Association (PADA), Lopez explained that the automotive sector is not included among the list allowed to operate.

Lopez cited the directives of the Inter-agency Task Force against Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF) and the Department of Trade and Industry’s Memorandum Circular 20-08 that enumerate which essential business establishments are allowed to operate during the enhanced community quarantine or ECQ. Among those business establishments currently allowed are those providing or manufacturing basic necessities such as food, medicine, water, banking and remittance centers, power, energy, telecommunication, and the like.

Citing the urgent need to limit movement of people to stop the spread of COVID-19, Lopez added that “if ever there would be exemption, it must be limited to these very essential products that the people cannot live without.”

For his part, Tee Ten said: “Given the importance of safe transportation in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, we have an obligation to ensure that motor vehicles remain safe and are properly maintained. We need to ensure that our nation’s motor vehicle fleet remains as safe and operational as possible.”

He added that allowing the re-opening of car dealerships would also help not only the country’s GDP since 4 percent of it is accounted to the automotive sector, but also help those whose jobs in the auto industry were severely affected by the current enhanced community quarantine.

Feasible

He said the PADA plan is feasible considering it would implement skeletal force attendance wherein 50 percent of the automotive dealership’s service staff will be reporting on a rotation basis. Even the technicians in the work bay will operate one bay apart to ensure physical distancing.

Furthermore, Tee Ten suggested strict sanitation wherein high traffic areas will be regularly sanitized by using disinfectants, application of protective material to the vehicle including seating and steering wheel cover, use of disposable gloves and proper protective gear by service team and technicians, as well as use of disinfectants to thoroughly wipe interior and exterior vehicle component surfaces.

“Even customers visiting the showroom will be required to wear a mask, screened for body temperature, and will be provided with hand sanitizers placed in strategic locations in the customer areas. All reception areas will have a clear plastic divider between the customers and service advisors,” explained Tee Ten.

As of April 22, 2020, there are a total of 6,710 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country wherein 446 individuals have already died while 693 have recovered.

Drastic end

With 410,187 units sold last year, the Philippine automotive industry was poised to continue its good fortunes in 2020. And despite challenges posed by Taal Volcano eruption in January and the growing threat of the coronavirus in early February, vehicle sales remained brisk: More than 59,000 units were sold in the first two months alone, citing figures coming from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Truck Manufacturers Association Inc., and the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors.

The COVID-19 pandemic that intensified in early March here in the Philippines has brought a drastic end to the boom as automakers and automotive dealers were forced to shut down all their operations in Luzon in compliance with the ECQ that began on March 17.

Lopez assured PADA that the national government is doing everything it can to facilitate the most reasonable arrangements to fulfill the smooth delivery of basic essential goods and services to the people even as most parts of the country adhere to the ECQ adding that the secretary is looking forward to PADA’S continued cooperation and even urged for even greater collaboration.