MANKAYAN, Benguet – The municipal government underscored that the various economic activities in the municipality had been thriving amidst the wrath of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) that heavily impacted on the national and local economy over the past four months.
Mayor Frenzel A. Ayong said the money of the people from the different barangays continued to circulate in the municipality even during the implementation of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) that virtually caused the closure of many businesses in the urban centers of the country.
He explained that among the reasons why economic activities in the municipality continued despite the pandemic is that farmers were able to sell their produce at the different trading centers in the capital town of La Trinidad, employees of the mining companies were able to earn their salaries despite some issues on the delayed release of the same by their employer, the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company, government officials and employees were able to timely receive their salaries and some people were able to create jobs for themselves, thus, most of the people had money to purchase their essential needs from the businesses in the various barangays.
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The municipal chief executive stated the municipal economy had not been heavily impacted by the lockdown although there were some sectors affected during the implementation of the community quarantine, thus, the municipal government and the concerned sectors had to provide them with the needed assistance that allowed them to cope with the effects of the pandemic.
According to him, the successful implementation of the community quarantine protocols in the municipality with only a single recorded case were the strict border controls imposed by neighboring municipalities of Bauko and Tadian in Mountain Province and Cervantes in Ilocos Sur, and the full cooperation of the residents to the policy for them to stay at home when they have no important business to do outside their residences.
Mayor Ayong stated the municipal government continues to abide by the prevailing policy of the provincial inter-agency task force on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases on the clustering of municipalities whose farmers are allowed to deliver their agricultural produce to the existing government trading centers in the capital town of La Trinidad because it has been doing well for the farmers, especially in stabilizing the supply and the buying prices of the vegetable produce.
The upland barangays of the municipality serve as the major producer of highland vegetables being shipped to the different trading centers in La Trinidad while the lower barangays are the so-called mineral-rich barangays that provide sustainable livelihood to employees of mining companies and pocket miners.
The municipal mayor asserted that despite the sustained economic activities in the municipality during the community quarantine, it is still important for the economic activities of other municipalities and urban centers to normalize for people to get back their jobs and have guaranteed income.
By Hent
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