Greater collaboration between the public and private sectors is vital to defeat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and mitigate the impact of climate change, President Rodrigo Duterte told the business leaders from the 21 member economies of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) on Thursday.

During his participation in the 2021 APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Dialogue with Economic Leaders, Duterte stressed the importance of promoting digital literacy to facilitate the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the digital economy, the Office of the President (OP) said in a press statement.

Duterte said such move would help increase the economic productivity of marginalized groups under the “new normal.”

“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte called for greater public-private collaboration in addressing inclusion and sustainability challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change,” the Office of the President (OP) said.

Stressing ABAC’s substantial contribution to the region’s pandemic response efforts, Duterte cited key areas of collaboration with Asia-Pacific businesses.

These include the improvement of digitalization and literacy in rural communities, establishment of a national Social Protection Floor (SPF), and the economies’ transition to a low-carbon economy, Malacañang said.

“To facilitate digital inclusion efforts, the President underscored the need to establish the necessary infrastructure for accessible, stable and affordable energy supply in remote communities,” it said.

Duterte, the OP said, made a stance that establishing a national SPF “could address the gaps in the social protection programs that were exposed during the pandemic.”

“An SPF will guarantee a minimum set of social security benefits for all, including workers in the informal sector and gig economy,” it added.

Scaled-up support

Malacañang said Duterte also renewed his call for a “sustainable, scaled-up and predictable” support from developed countries to help developing economies adapt to and mitigate the adverse consequences of climate change.

“This includes climate finance, technology transfer and development and capacity-building,” it said.

Duterte, as quoted by the OP, said: “In the interest of climate justice, we need these to transition to climate-smart development and adapt to and mitigate the worsening effects of climate change.”

Joining the President during the virtual ABAC dialogue were Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert Borje.

ABAC, the private-sector arm of APEC, is mandated to advise economic leaders and other officials on business-related issues.

Its members are appointed by economic leaders from 21 APEC economies and represent a range of business sectors.

APEC’s 21 member economies include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, the United States, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Russia, and Vietnam. (PNA)