Palace clarifies remark on unemployment: We’re saddened, losing a job not a joke

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang clarified on Tuesday that it is not happy with the high unemployment as shown in a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, stressing it only meant that the situation “could have been worse.”

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque drew so much flak from social media after he said he was “glad” that an SWS survey showed adult joblessness at 47.7 percent and not 100 percent.

“By the way, may mga ibang tao na minasama at binigyang kulay yung aking sinabi na nagagalak na hindi tayo 100 percent na nawalan ng trabaho. Ang ibig ko lang pong sabihin, it could have been worse,” Roque said in an online briefing.

(There were some people who thought badly and gave color to what I said that we are glad that we are not 100 percent jobless. What I meant was, it could have been worse.)

“Malungkot pong nawalan ng trabaho ang marami sa atin. Hindi po biro talaga yan,” he added.

(It is so sad that many of us lost livelihoods. This is not a joke.)

According to SWS, the estimated number of jobless adults was at 27.3 million in July 2020.

Meanwhile, Roque noted a labor force survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority which showed that the country’s unemployment rate was at 17.7 percent in April 2020.

“Whether be it 40 plus percent or 17.7 percent, nalulungkot po tayo. Pero itong kawalan [ng trabaho], inaasahan po natin na temporary lamang dahil alam po natin epekto po ito ng COVID. Babangon po tayo ulit, magtratrabaho po tayo ulit,” Roque said.

(Whether it be 40 plus percent or 17.7 percent, we are saddened. But the loss of jobs, we expect that it will only be temporary as a result of COVID. We will rise again and we will work again.) [ac]