SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez today described the decrease in unemployment as a positive development and a piece of good news.
He made the statement in reaction to the preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) Labor Force Survey showing that the number of jobless Filipinos dropped to 3.2 percent in November last year from 3.9 percent the previous month, equivalent to 1.66 million.
The underemployment rate fell to 10.8 percent in November from 12.6 percent in October.
Speaker Romualdez said the decrease in unemployment and underemployment numbers “means that the economy continues to expand under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and continues to create job and income opportunities for our people.”
“The right economic policies are driving our growth and generating jobs for jobless Filipinos. We are happy for those who have found employment and who are working longer hours than before,” he said.
“For those who remain unemployed, the government has various programs to help them. We hope that as the economy grows and create more jobs, they would eventually find employment,” the leader of the 307-strong House of Representatives said.
He added that among these programs are the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), which are administered by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE).
He suggested that jobless Filipinos could also avail themselves of training and retooling courses offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Speaker Romualdez assured the public that Congress, principally the House of Representatives, would continue to help the Marcos administration in its efforts to sustain economic growth to keep current jobs and to create more jobs.
“It’s a big challenge, which we hope to successfully address for the benefit of all of our people,” he said.
