MANILA, Philippines – The unemployment crisis in the country will continue to worsen under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, IBON Foundation said on Saturday.
According to the non-profit research group, the biggest employment decline in the country was from the agricultural sector.
“1.7 million jobs ang nawala sa agriculture sector. From 10.9 million agricultural employment noong january 2018, bumagsak siya to 9.2 million lamang in January this year,” said IBON Foundation’s Sonny Africa at the Annabel’s news forum.
Sonny Africa from IBON foundation. Photo by Faye Orellana/INQUIRER.net
The foundation estimates that of the total number of the country’s total population, about 9.8 percent or 4.5 million are unemployed.
“Ito na ang pinaka malalamang pagbagsak ng trabaho sa post-Marcos era. Sa buong 33 years since 1986, limang beses lang nagkaroon ng contraction sa employment, sa limang beses na yan, dalawa ay nasa loob ng Duterte administration” Africa said.
“The other times were in 1997 — during the financial crisis — in 2005, and during 2014. So basically two out of the five times na nabawasan ng trabaho, dalawa doon ay nangyari during the Duterte administration,” he explained.
Data provided by IBON Foudation showed that in 1997, the number of employed shrunk by 529,000; 270,000 in 2005; and 1.5 million in 2014.
Employment meanwhile fell by 1.3 million and 387,000 during the years of 2017 and 2019, respectively.
The group also slammed the priority being given to Chinese workers over Filipino workers in some local construction jobs.
“Over 20 percent yung trabaho doon, including those skilled works, is binigay sa Chinese workers. So iniisip namin ngayon, ano ba talaga?,” Africa said in reference to the first two bridge projects in Manila and Marikina.
“So if you’re going to think of it, hindi totoo na prinoprotektahan nila at binibigyan nila ng supporta ang Filipino workers,” he added.
Labor groups earlier demanded that Special Envoy to China Ramon Tulfo apologize to Filipino workers after he insulted their contributions to the country’s economy for saying that the Chinese make for better workers.
Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said Tulfo’s characterization of Filipino workers was “uncalled for.” /muf
READ: TUCP asks Tulfo to apologize for insulting Filipino workers