SENATORS Panfilo Lacson and Vicente Sotto III will implement a two-pronged strategy centering on health and the economy to address the Covid pandemic and its lingering effects if they win in the elections next year.

Lacson on Tuesday said that opening the economy hinges on vaccination.

“Dalawa ang napakalaking problema sa pandemic: Health at economy. Vaccination ang number 1 solution dahil nakita natin sa ibang bansa ‘pag mataas ang vaccination rate nakapagbukas sila ng ekonomiya. ‘Yan dapat pag-ukulan natin ng pansin,” he said.

“Maraming pagkakamali sa simula, pero pwede pang i-correct iyan,” he added.

Lacson is running for president under Partido Reporma, while Sotto is running for vice president under the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

Lacson said he and Sotto are consulting health experts to find alternatives to lockdowns that have crippled the economy but failed to stop or slow down the spread of Covid.

The senator said he and Sotto are also studying ways to reopen the economy, including improving the country’s competitiveness.

He said they have to factor in the high costs of power and labor while implementing the digitalization of the economy and the interoperability of agencies.

“Ito dapat tumutulong sa aming ekonomista at iba’t ibang expert sa iba’t ibang field,” he said. “Ang iba digitalized na, may interoperability ang kanilang national at local government agencies. Tayo naiwanan diyan,” he added.

Lacson believes that more funds should be poured into research and development to improve the country’s competitiveness.

He also mentioned the need to curb corruption, which can be done by imposing a single standard of governance and leadership by example.