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Lock down, start up: the digital firms cashing in on coronavirus quarantines in the Philippines
- Demand has surged for services such as delivery apps and health care platforms as people look to limit their contact with the outside world
- And it’s not just private sector entrepreneurs getting in on the action
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In just a matter of days, Jimwel Himor has gone from waiting tables for a catering company in Metro Manila to waiting in line at the supermarket as he does other people’s shopping.
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“It’s a good gig and helps me get the money I need,” said the sole breadwinner for his family. “At least while I don’t have regular work.”
Himor is one of the thousands of Filipinos who recently signed up as a personal assistant on MyKuya, an on-demand services app based in Manila, after being furloughed by his employer in mid-March.
Hundreds of thousands of workers like him in mainland Luzon have been forced to look for new ways to put food on the table since the Philippines’ largest and most populous island was put under “enhanced community quarantine” by President Rodrigo Duterte on March 16.
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The move, aimed at curbing the widening spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, also put thousands of employers temporarily out of business.
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