Salceda, however, explained that the country could have experienced an economic recession had the Luzon-wide quarantine not been enforced by the national government on March 17. “‘Yung virus kasi ay pwede mo lang patayin kung ang ekonomiya ay patitigilin mo. Kasi ang virus na ito ay nagta-thrive through economic activity, so kailangan po nating pigilan muna ‘yung pagtakbo ng ekonomiya,” he said. But according to Salceda, the country’s economy could still grow faster than other countries once the quarantine is lifted. The government had placed Luzon under an enhanced community quarantine following a spike in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 22, 2020 07:18 UTC