Conclusion
Another good example is the implementation by some countries of the Alma-Ata Declaration (1978), which calls for the development of a strong primary health care at the community level. This primary health care serves as the fulcrum for the development of other social and economic wellness concerns of the community. Hence, it is an integrated health-economic resiliency program. Such an approach minimizes health expenses by the State and helps transform the communities into cohesive and stronger economic units. Cuba, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam are models on how this can be done. In Cuba, the barrio doctor even regularly goes around the community to remind people of what to do when an epidemic strikes, such as Covid.
So back to the Philippines, a Peoples Stimulus program can focus on common felt needs of the people in each community such as: health care for all, community preparedness against disasters, survival programs for the needy and wellness program for women and youth. Some concrete doables under a People’s Stimulus program:
- Covid proofing communities of the poor by developing the primary health care unit, building community health infrastructures, and transforming the health center as the center of community wellness, economy and culture.
- Climate proofing the communities of the poor, which are generally fragile, vulnerable and disaster-prone. UN agencies have models for labor-intensive, low-cost infras needed for the upgrading of poor communities in order to make them resilient and sustainable. Specific infra projects can include: concreting of pathways, building a multi-purpose community center, dredging canals, fortifying dikes, solarization of homes, etc.
- Promotion of grassroots entrepreneurship and economic solidarity enterprise network. Side by side with this promotion is the inculcation of the values of damayan (helping one another in crisis times), bayanihan (helping one another in starting an enterprise) and tangkilikan (helping one another sustain enterprise growth). There is a growing number of women-led group enterprises and initiatives that show that not only that such values work but also create quantitative and qualitative progressive economic changes at the community level.
The foregoing are only some of possible programs and activities that can help revive the different communities and eventually the national economy as a whole. The question is: Are the technocrats prepared to embrace a different economic tack, one that deviates from the usual trickle-down approach?
One that has the potentials of transforming 2021 into a recovery year, not a replay of last year’s annus horribilis?
Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo is a Professor Emeritus of University of the Philippines.
For comments, please write to reneofreneo@gmail.com.