Villanueva's Pet Bill to address joblessness in the country

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva sponsored in plenary Senate Bill No. 2035 seeking to establish the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan, which will serve as the country's long-term employment generation and recovery masterplan.

Villanueva said the landmark legislation, known as "Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) Act," aims to promote job-led economic growth and enhanced industry collaboration, and to provide overall services for worker development and support and incentives to businesses.

The Majority Leader noted that the measure is included in the priority measures of the Marcos administration.

"We are humbled and thankful to President Bongbong Marcos for personally asking us to lead in the passage of this measure," he said

The TPB Act shall provide the employment policy that is comprehensive, coherent, and future oriented, to be able to address the dynamic changes in the labor market.

"Employment should not just be an incident to economic development. Generating more decent and permanent employment should be the objective of economic growth, to make growth inclusive and a reality for all," he said.

Villanueva rued the Philippines has yet to overcome the "seasonality" of jobs, wherein more workers are hired during peak months.

In December 2022, unemployment rate dropped to 4.3% from the 5.3% in August 2022. It climbed anew, however, in January 2023 at 4.8% after the holiday season while the underemployment rate has remained high from 13.8% in 2019 to 14.1% as of January 2023, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The Majority Leader noted that PSA data also showed a huge gap in the employment in the service sector at 60.7% compared with the agricultural sector at 22.2% and the industry sector at 17.1%.

"Clearly, we need to diversify and increase opportunities in other sectors if we are to become a self-sustaining and prosperous country," he said.

The masterplan shall be formulated by an Inter-Agency Council headed by the National Economic and Development Authority, as the chairperson, with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Labor and Employment as co-chairpersons.

It shall direct all government agencies to come up with integrated and coordinated solutions for a range of matters such as:

• Rising precarity and informality of work;

• Tackling the nuanced needs of particular sectors - including those that are marginalized and vulnerable;

• Increase in the number of workers in the digital economy, gig economy, and platform work;

• Full-cycle reintegration of Overseas Filipino Workers;

• Promoting opportunities in priority sectors, key and emerging industries with high employment potential;

• Expanding access to active labor market policies; and

• Job-skills mismatch and potential skills gap in emerging industries.

The Inter-Agency Council shall also harmonize all existing policies, plans, programs, and projects and shall work together with existing inter-agency councils engaged in efforts that aim to provide an enabling environment for employment and enterprises to grow.

"The TPB Plan will harmonize and synergize all efforts towards a coherent and cohesive employment policy: Isang plano na magiging direksyon ng lahat ng polisiya, proyekto, programa, at iba pang mga inisyatibo upang patuloy na bumuo at gumawa ng dekalidad na trabaho para sa bayan," Villanueva said.

Pet bill ni Villanueva solusyon sa 'joblessness' sa bansa

Inisponsoran na ni Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva sa plenaryo ang Senate Bill No. 2035 na naglalayong magtatag ng Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan, na magsisilbing 'long-term employment generation and recovery' master plan ng bansa.

Ayon kay Villanueva, layunin ng landmark legislation na kilala bilang "Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TBP) Act", na isulong ang 'job-led economic growth and enhanced industry collaboration' at magbigay ng pangkalahatang serbisyo para sa worker development at suporta at insentibo sa mga negosyo.

Sabi pa ng Majority Leader, ang panukala ay kasama sa priority measures ng Marcos administration.

"We are humbled and thankful to President Bongbong Marcos for personally asking us to lead in the passage of this measure," ani Villanueva.

Ang TPB Act ay magbibigay ng employment policy na kumprehensibo, magkakaugnay at future-oriented o nakatuon sa hinarahap para mapagtuunan ng pansin ang pabago-bagong labor market ng bansa.

"Employment should not just be an incident to economic development. Generating more decent and permanent employment should be the objective of economic growth, to make growth inclusive and a reality for all," sabi ni Villanueva.

Binigyang diin ng senador na hindi pa nalalagpasan ng Pilipinas ang "seasonality" ng trabaho kung saan maraming manggagawa ang kinukuha kapag peak months.

Noong Disyembre 2022, bumaba ang unemployment rate sa 4.3% mula sa 5.3% noong Agosto 2022. Subalit umakyat muli ito noong Enero 2023 kung saan nakapagtala ng 4.8% matapos ang holiday season. Samantala, nananatiling mataas ang underemployment rate na naitala sa 14.1% noong Enero 2023 mula sa dating 13.8% noong 2019, ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Binanggit pa ng Majority Leader na ang PSA data ay nagpapakita ng malaking agwat sa employment sa service sector na 60% kumpara sa agricultural sector na 22.2% at industry sector na 17.1%

"Clearly, we need to diversify and increase opportunities in other sectors if we are to become a self-sustaining and prosperous country," ani Villanueva.

Ang masterplan ay bubuuhin ng isang Inter-Agency Council na pamumunuan ng National Economic and Development Authority, bilang chairperson, kasama ang Department of Trade and Industry at ang Department of Labor and Employment bilang co-chairpersons.

Aatasan nito ang lahat ng ahensiya ng gobyerno na bumuo ng pinagsama-sama at magkakatugmang solusyon para sa iba't ibang bagay tulad na mga sumusunod:

• tumataas na walang katiyakan at impormal na trabaho;

• pagdagdag sa bilang ng manggagawa sa digital economy, gig economy, at platform work;

• Full-cycle reintegration ng Overseas Filipino Workers;

• Pagsusulong ng oportunidad sa prayoridad na sektor at sa mahahalaga at umuusbong na mga industriya na may mataas na potensiyal na makalikha ngg trabaho;

• Lumalawak na access sa aktibong labor market policies; at

• Job-skills mismatch at potensiyal na skills gap sa umuusbong na mga industriya.

Ang Inter-Agency Council din ang magtutugma sa lahat ng umiiral na polisiya, plano, programa at proyekto at makikipagtulungan sa inter-agency council na nagsisikap na magbigay ng magandang kapaligiran para sa trabaho at magpalago ng mga negosyo.

"The TPB Plan will harmonize and synergize all efforts towards a coherent and cohesive employment policy: Isang plano na magiging direksyon ng lahat ng polisiya, proyekto, programa, at iba pang mga inisyatibo upang patuloy na bumuo at gumawa ng dekalidad na trabaho para sa bayan," ayon pa kay Villanueva.