Press Release
May 2, 2021

Villanueva: Workers, small biz owners stand to benefit from proposed P8,000 wage subsidy program

Senator Joel Villanueva expressed support to the proposed P8,000-wage subsidy program for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help business owners retain their workers while economic activity gradually restarts with the easing of quarantine measures nationwide.

In a statement, Villanueva said the proposal was a way to "diversify the government's ayuda program" to assist MSMEs, one of the hardest-hit sectors in the country as the COVID-19 pandemic forced business operations to grind to a halt to prevent the spread of the virus.

"I support it because we have to diversify our ayuda program. The conventional track is to aid workers who have lost their jobs. This one helps workers from losing theirs. We have to invest more in payroll retention and job protection programs that help both employers and workers," Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, said in a statement.

"PSA data shows that our MSMEs are 99.5% of all registered business enterprises in the country, and they are responsible for 62.4% of the country's total employment. When we aid a struggling MSME, our subsidy cascades down to the workers who will be able to keep their paycheck because we have helped avert a shutdown," Villanueva noted.

The lawmaker said that pursuing the program would also help the government finance its operations through the taxes generated from the economic activity from MSMEs.

"Our government should not come in only after an employee has become unemployed. It should proactively intervene so that companies employing workers would remain open and their jobs secure," Villanueva stated.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez unveiled the proposal during the job summit of the Task Group on Economic Recovery-National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) on Saturday. The official explained that the proposed P24-billion wage subsidy program seeks to grant workers in MSMEs an P8,000 wage subsidy per month for a maximum of three months.

For his part, Villanueva said he would study the proposal, particularly on sourcing the funds needed to make this program a reality.

"We'll look into this proposal, which is a part of our National Employment Recovery Strategy, so that we in the Senate could also do our part and study potential funding sources for this important program to help MSMEs retain jobs," the lawmaker said.


Villanueva: Mga manggagawa, small biz owners ang panalo sa panukalang P8,000 wage subsidy program

Suportado ni Senator Joel Villanueva ang panukalang pagbibigay ng P8,000 wage subsidy sa mga maliliit na negosyong kabilang sa hanay ng mga micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) dahil matutulungan ng programa na mapanatili ang trabaho ng milyun-milyong manggagawa.

Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ni Villanueva na ang panukalang programa ay isang paraan para palawakin pa ang ayudang ibinibigay ng gobyerno sa mga nangangailangan. Sa pagkakataong ito, makikinabang ang mga MSME na nagbibigay ng trabaho sa tinatayang 5.5 milyon na manggagawa sa nasabing sektor.

"Maganda ang mungkahi pong ito dahil pinapakita ng gobyerno na patuloy itong lumilikha ng paraan para palawakin ang pagbibigay ng ayuda para sa ating mga kababayan ngayong pandemya, lalo na ang ating mga manggagawa," ani Villanueva, chair ng Senate committee on labor.

"Ang karaniwang paraan ay tulungan ang mga nawalan ng trabaho, pero ang panukalang ito ay aalalay sa mga manggagawa na mapanatili ang kanilang hanapbuhay. Natutulungan na po ang manggagawa, naiibsan pa nito ang hirap ng mga maliliit na negosyante," dagdag pa niya.

Ayon sa datos ng PSA, 99.5% ng lahat ng rehistradong negosyo sa bansa ay MSMEs, at nagbibigay sila ng trabaho at hanap-buhay sa 62.4% ng kabuuang bilang manggagawa.

"Kapag tumutulong tayo sa isang nahihirapang MSME, hindi lang ito ang natutulungan natin dahil kasama na dito ang mga manggagawa nito na hindi mawawalan ng trabaho. Panalo din ang gobyerno dito, kasi tuloy ang pagbabayad ng buwis ng mga MSMEs at ng manggagawa nito," ani Villanueva.

Ang planong pagbibigay ng P8,000 wage subsidy ay inihayag ni Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez sa paglulunsad ng Task Group on Economic Recovery-National Employment Recovery Strategy o NERS nitong Sabado sa paggunita ng Araw ng Paggawa. Halagang P24 bilyon umano ang kinakailangan na pondo para dito, at giit ni Lopez na hanggang tatlong buwan lang ang maximum na ibibigay at prayoridad ang mga manggagawa sa MSMEs.

Ani Villanueva, pag-aaralan niya ang programa upang makakalap ng sapat na pondo para magamit sa programang ito.

"At dahil bahagi ito ng ating National Employment Recovery Strategy, gagawin namin ang aming tungkulin dito sa Senado at tumulong sa paghahanap ng pondo para sa napakaganda at napakahalagang programang ito," ayon kay Villanueva.

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