Biz sector to meet IATF head today

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry executive officer Frank Carbon said Monday that Melquiades Feliciano, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Deputy Implementer for Visayas, will meet with the business sector today, Sept 29, 2020.

Carbon said the meeting was called by Feliciano but they don’t know the specific agenda.

“Maybe his war plan,” Carbon told Daily Guardian.

The IATF manages the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Asked what concern they will bring up in the meeting Carbon said “We’re tired of bringing concerns. We just want to listen. Where are they going to take us? And we take it from there.”

Earlier, Carbon said they are hoping to get some concession for business to survive amid the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) due to rising COVID-19 cases here.

However, he said their first meeting with Feliciano “was not good.”

Carbon also aired that as far as the business sector is concerned, MECQ was farthest from their minds.

Bacolod which has just reverted to General Community Quarantine last Sept 1,2020 was placed under MECQ by the IATF which caught the business sector by surprise.

“We are a little wary on the plans of these officials on how to contain the spread of the virus knowing they are military men,” Carbon said.
Carbon also said that the problem now is not only about health, but also on economy, specifically employment and livelihood losses.

“Let us eliminate the virus not the jobs.”
He also pointed out the need to be proactive by having a virus containment and business continuity plans.

IATF chief implementer Carlito Galvez earlier asked for two (2) weeks to install a digital data gathering system including the setting-up of a COVID info data bank and develop a comprehensive and up-to-date report on where, how, and why of local transmission.

Carbon said Galvez also asked for a Virus Containment and Business Continuity Plan, implement it, monitor progress and revise, if needed.