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As I write this piece, the Department of Health (DOH) has just reported 33,160 new COVID-19 cases as part of this surge in coronavirus infections that we are currently experiencing. This Jan. 11 number is the highest ever since we started recording this type of data. This is a staggering number given the fact that this number was around 800-900 just about 12 days prior. This omicron variant means business. And experts predict that the number of daily cases will probably peak at 30,000 to 40,000 by end of January or early February.

This is no time to panic. Rather, this is the time to look back at our economic gains in the fourth quarter and preserve these as we slog through this latest pandemic wave.

Business planners by this time already have their own basic assumptions on how the Philippine economy would perform this year. They have their own macro-economic targets, guided by the set of goals forecast by government planners.