Recovering from crises

THERE is certainly one very, very good lesson that can be learned from the paralyzing coronavirus disease-2020 (COVID-19) that continues to “terrorize”peoples across the globe.

It is the need to build resilience against adversities, such as this health crisis, coming up with innovative and creative solutions that can effectively balance health and other objectives.

Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua, director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), said that innovation in government is needed if we are to recover from crises.

“What this crisis has made apparent is the need for us to innovate governance and the importance of effective coordination if we hope…to build resilience against adversities,” said Chua.

But the 42-year old Chua, a graduate of the University of the Philippines, was quick to stress that the government must be the one to provide the direction and impetus for innovation to succeed.

“We must set the example by recalibrating our systems and processes to suit the needs and demands of the new normal,” said Chua during the opening of the 6thAnnual Public Policy Conference of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies last Tuesday.

This can be done through the use of new technologies in developing tools that can make the delivery of public services more effective and efficient, according to Secretary Chua.

Likewise, he stated, quite clearly, that effective coordination and dynamic multi-stakeholder partnerships in maximizing all available resources are needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of course, we share his view that building strategic partnerships with different sectors is, without doubt, an effective way to address resource constraints during national emergencies.

Let’s heed the call of the NEDA chief if we are to address the various problems posed by the pandemic.