CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - Despite the economic blow from the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the regional per capita output in Northern Mindanao remained high, according to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) 10 on Wednesday.
At an online conference for the Regional Development Council-10 (RDC-10), Mylah Faye Aurora Cariño, NEDA-10 Director, said despite an overall downtrend, Northern Mindanao's per capita output emerged as the second-highest among all regions, next to the National Capital Region, at PHP163,952 and even higher than the Philippines' average PHP161,137.
"The result of GRDP (Gross Regional Domestic Product) estimates by the PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) showed that the regional economy contracted by 5.2 percent in 2020, reflecting the economic fallout due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This brings the 10-year average growth rate to 5.3 percent." she said.
Cariño said the national government had to recalibrate some economic and headline targets as part of the agency's anticipation of the adverse impact of the pandemic to the local economy.
Despite this, she said the regional labor market outcomes have improved in 2021 compared to last year based on the running average of labor and employment outcomes in January, April, and July.
“These resulted from the safe reopening of the economy by taking a more risk-based approach in imposing restrictions,” she said.
Cariño said the unemployment rate in the region was placed at 4.9 percent in July 2021, significantly better than the record-high unemployment rate of 11.1 percent in April 2020.
Meanwhile, Misamis Occidental Gov. Philip Tan, chair of RDC-10, said the pandemic showed that rapid cultural and technological change could open a window for a better post-pandemic future.
"The Regional Development Council recognizes that there is still much to be done to manage the pandemic and at the same time achieve inclusive and sustainable development," Tan said.
Misamis Occidental
During the online conference, Tan also cited three important policies that can help the region attain economic development amid the Covid-19 pandemic:: the safe reopening of the economy with strict adherence to minimum health standards and protocols; the full implementation of the recovery package; and the acceleration of the vaccination program.
"We need to strive hard and help each other, coming from the government to private sector individuals; and institutions to turn this crisis into an opportunity," he said.
According to Tan, the local government of Misamis Occidental is already finding ways to boost the capabilities of its provincial hospital, the Mayor Hilarion A. Ramiro Sr. Medical Center (MHARS-MC), by opening more Covid-19 facilities.
Second District Rep. Henry Oaminal, has committed PHPP20 million for the hospital, while First District Rep. Diego Ty has pledged PHP10 million.
Ozamiz City Mayor Sancho Fernando Oaminal, meanwhile, has pledged PHP10 million, while Oroquieta City Lemuel Acosta has committed to give PHP10 to 15 million to the hospital.
“We really need to be united in solving this crisis that we are facing. As a congressman of the first district, I commit to help, support and to work hard so that I can be able to solve the financial concerns of MHARS-MC and also to the provincial officials," Ty said. (PNA)
