Gov’t, not typhoon, to blame for unemployment – groups

A typhoon survivor stands on rubbish in Tacloban, central Philippines on Dec. 8, 2013. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Several groups on Tuesday said the real cause of the rise in the country’s unemployment rate is the government’s labor and economic policies, not Super Typhoon “Yolanda.”

Labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said Malacañang was just making an excuse when it attributed the results of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey to the spate of calamities that devastated a large part of the country.

The SWS poll, conducted in December last year, showed an increase in the number of unemployed from 9.6 million people (21.7 percent) in September to 12.1 million  (27.5 percent) in December.

“The cause of the present jobs disaster in the country is not Yolanda but Noynoy. Aquino’s dependence on foreign investments and refusal to implement genuine land reform and national industrialization are disastrous for the employment situation in the country,” KMU chairperson Elmer Labog said in a statement.

Labog pointed out that the government’s Labor Force Survey also showed a similar trend of increasing unemployment in the country.

He said that while foreign investments grew by 50 percent in November, it “does not automatically result in more jobs.”

“Wanting instant profits, foreign capitalists are investing in financial markets rather than building factories or even offices. They are also investing in the non-productive sectors of the economy,” he claimed.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) called it a chronic problem.

“Unemployment has been a chronic problem, existing even before the storm ravaged the country, and persisting because of the policies of the Aquino regime,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said.

He echoed KMU’s belief that growth has been concentrated in only a few areas of the economy, such as in real estate and construction.

“These areas of growth account for only 8% of total employment, according to the government’s own statistics. Sectors such as agriculture and fisheries have consistently lagged behind,” Reyes said.

Bayan said unemployment persists because the government did not have a “real program” for land reform and industrialization.

Meanwhile, PM chair Renato Magtubo said the spike in unemployment was a combination of bad policies.

“We are more troubled with the fact that after more than three years in office, the Aquino administration has yet to understand the root cause of this chronic problem.  And it’s not about the weather,” he said.

Magtubo said “trade liberalization both in industry and agriculture, lack of industrial program, and the privatization-led growth model were to blame.”