Press Release
June 30, 2021

Villanueva: Hard work of creating jobs lies ahead as gov't unveils employment recovery plan

Senator Joel Villanueva welcomed Malacanang's unveiling of its jobs plan, but said hard work lies ahead in translating a "Powerpoint presentation into paychecks."

"Maganda po ang layunin ng National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS), na nakikita natin bilang isang panimulang aksyon tungo sa paglilikha ng trabaho at kabuhayan para sa ating mga manggagawa. Nagpapasalamat po tayo at kabilang ang ating mga mungkahi sa pagbabalangkas ng NERS," said Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, in a statement. "The hard work of transforming ideas into tangible actions can now start."

For its part, the Senate, through his committee, will exercise its constitutionally-mandated powers and duty to conduct oversight, "so what is promised will be delivered," Villanueva said.

"The NERS needs a concerted effort of every one, and our Senate labor committee is prepared to do its part to ensure we would hit our targets. Trabaho at kabuhayan po ng ating mga kababayan ang nakasalalay dito," Villanueva said.

He noted that the four-page Executive Order No. 140 "merely painted the broad strokes of job generation."

The details, he added, will be fleshed out by the "IATF-style 19-person NERS task force composed of Cabinet members and chaired by the Secretary of Labor and Employment."

"Inaasahan po natin na ang jobs program ay mayroong malinaw at specific na targets, na siyang hihimayin ng ating NERS task force," Villanueva said.

He urged the NERS task force to create a "national trabaho map" that will identify "where and when jobs will open and who will hire."

"I think the scoreboard like the one created for vaccines will help give us a clear picture on whether we are hitting our employment generation targets or not," Villanueva said.

"That way, we will be able to measure if the E.O., the Executive Order, is indeed creating job orders," he said.

Villanueva said the NERS task force's "first urgent business" is to make sure that economic frontliners, or those in the A4 group, will continue to get their vaccine jabs soon."

"Jabs will create jobs. There's no magic formula in that," he said.

As of June 27, of the 10,065,414 vaccine doses administered, only 12,340 were given to A4 workers who had received two complete shots.

He said the national employment program should aim for regular jobs, "not temporary gigs that will later become 'endo' workers in one or two months."

He said the next government employment survey should be able to capture the bump in the number of the employed "and most importantly the reduction in the number of the unemployed."

In the Labor Force Survey (LFS) issued last April, the unemployment rate was reported at 8.73% or about 4.14 million workers, while the underemployment rate was registered at a high 17.22% or about 7.45 million workers.

Meanwhile, the April LFS also found that there are about 1.1 million workers who consider themselves "employed but not at work," meaning they are on job rotation, temporarily laid off, among other arrangements.

Villanueva urged the government to closely monitor the implementation of the NERS Action Points to ensure objectives and targets are fulfilled.

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Villanueva, hinimok ang gobyerno na magtulungan para mapatupad ang employment recovery plan

Mainit na sinalubong ni Senator Joel Villanueva ang pagpapatupad ng National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) na layuning makagawa ng karagdagang trabaho sa bansa, ngunit kailangan itong tutukan upang siguruhing matutupad ito.

"Maganda po ang layunin ng NERS, na nakikita natin bilang isang panimulang aksyon tungo sa paglilikha ng trabaho at kabuhayan para sa ating mga manggagawa. Nagpapasalamat po tayo at kabilang ang ating mga mungkahi sa pagbabalangkas ng NERS," ani Villanueva, chair ng Senate labor committee, sa isang pahayag.

Sa bahagi naman ng Senado, sinabi ng senador na nakahanda ang kanyang komite na gamitin ang kapangyarihan nito sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon na siguruhin na anuman ang ipinangako sa planong ito ay maibibigay o matutupad.

"Sisiguruhin po natin na maabot ang mga target ng NERS, at handa po ang Senado para magbigay ng tulong kung kinakailangan. Trabaho at kabuhayan po ng ating mga kababayan ang nakasalalay dito," sabi ni Villanueva.

Broad strokes umano ang nakapaloob sa apat na pahinang Executive Order No. 140 tungkol sa paglikha ng trabaho, ngunit ang detalye sa pagpapatupad ay babalangkasin ng isang NERS task force na binubuo ng 19 na katao, kasama ang kalihim ng DOLE.

"Inaasahan po natin na ang jobs program ay mayroong malinaw at specific na targets, na siyang hihimayin ng ating NERS task force," ani Villanueva.

Hinimok din niya ang NERS task force na lumikha ng "national trabaho map" kung saan magbubukas ng trabaho at kanino mag-aapply.

"Kailangan din po natin ng scoreboard tulad nung sa bakuna program natin para malaman natin kung natatamaan natin ang ating mga target sa ating job generation," sabi ni Villanueva.

Unang trabaho din ng NERS task force ang siguruhin na ang pagbabakuna ng economic frontliners o yung mga kasama sa A4 priority group, ay tuloy-tuloy ang pagtanggap ng bakuna.

Hanggang nitong Hunyo 27, sa 10,065,414 bakunang naibigay, mahigit 12,340 lamang ang sa A4 hanggang sa pangalawang dose.

Hiniling din ni Villanueva sa NERS task force na sana ay trabahong regular ang mahanap nila at hindi pansamantala o "endo" na panandalian lamang.

Sa Labor Force Survey nitong Abril, sumipa na sa 8.73% ang unemployment rate, habang ang underemployment rate naman ay umabot na sa 17.22%.

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