Benitez pushes ‘digital revolution’
Friday, May 15, 2020
BY CARLA P. GOMEZ
Former Rep. Alfredo Benitez, provincial government economic adviser, yesterday said he expects negative gross domestic product (GDP) growth for Negros Occidental in the second quarter of this year.
The quarantines imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are taking their toll, he said.
During the Enhanced Community Quarantine about 900,000 jobs halted out of the 1.4 million labor force in the province, Benitez said.
And when the new normal kicks in 281,000 jobs will still be lost in the province based on an assessment of the business community, he said.
They are saying they will not be able to hire everybody back because they do not know if there will be revenues, Benitez said.
He said government should take the lead in building the proper infrastructure to allow more businesses to come into Negros Occidental.
Benitez said he is proposing to develop the information technology industry, which he calls the “digital revolution”.
This will mean laying down a fiber optics network throughout Negros Island,” he said.*
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@senso for A BETTER BACOLOD
Ang isa sa akon mga handom para sa Bacolod.
Ako ang kapitan sg sini nga barko. Indi ini magkadto sa wala ukon sa tuo, kundi derecho sa direksyon sang pagbag-o sang gobyerno para sa kaayuhan sang Bacolodnon.
