Both government and church officials yesterday called for the promotion of Filipino workers’ welfare, by providing them decent livelihood and respecting their rights.

In today’s Labor Day celebration, Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the 54 job fairs are scheduled that will gather 1,112 employers, who will be bringing over 167,924 job vacancies.

Of the 167,924 jobs offered, 75,137 or 44.74 percent are for local employment; 92,257 or 54.94 percent are for overseas; and 530 or .32 percent are for the government sector.

In his last Labor Day message as Chief Executive, President Aquino hailed the Filipino workers who toil hard for their family and their dreams.

“Saludo ang ating sambayanan sa mga manggagawang Pilipinong nagpupunyagi para sa kanilang pamilya at pangarap. Idinaraos natin ang Araw ng Paggawa bilang pasasalamat sa alay ninyong husay, dangal, at lakas sa ating bayan (The nation salutes all Filipino workers who work hard for their family and their dreams. As we celebrate Labor Day, we thank you for your skills, honor, and strength for our country,” Aquino said in his Labor Day statement.

He said that in the past six years, the Aquino administration championed the cause of Filipino workers.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, standard-bearer of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), pledged to provide decent livelihood for the Filipino workers.

‘LIVELIHOOD, NOT DEATH’

“Kabuhayan, hindi kamatayan. Trabaho, hindi karahasan (Livelihood, not death. Job, not violence),” Binay stressed in his Labor Day statement.

Binay, who served as lawyer for labor unions during martial law, paid tribute to the crucial role of public and private workers in moving the nation forward.

“Kinikilala natin ang mga manggagawang Pilipino bilang matibay na haligi ng ating lipunan. Katuwang sila sa anumang pagsulong ng ating bansa (We hail the Filipino laborer for being a mighty pillar of society. They are the country’s partners in growth),” he said.

“To show appreciation for their vital contribution to society, the government must protect their rights and further their welfare,” added Binay.

“The Filipino workers proved that they can keep up with international market. We are very proud of what you have achieved even abroad, where you have stood shoulder to shoulder with your fellowmen to help improve the quality of jobs in our society,” Aquino said.

The President also urged the Filipinos to work hard in ensuring that reforms will be sustained in the next administration.

“We made sure that we give back to what you have worked hard for by providing solutions and making sure you live with dignified jobs,” Aquino said.

DIGNITY AND RESPECT

Presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe and running mate Sen. Francis Escudero vowed to treat the country’s workers with dignity and respect, as they batted anew for the imposition of lower income taxes.

The tandem joined the nation in honoring the workers’ contribution to nation building on the eve of the observance of Labor Day.

“They feed their family out of their sweat and blood. They work decently and honestly despite shortage in basic necessities and poverty. We hope each labor worker will achieve a life with dignity and may we provide equal opportunities for all,” Poe said in a statement.

In pursuit of easing the plight of the workers, she underscored the need to adjust tax brackets, which remain unchanged since 1997.

“I believe that the income tax rates should be lowered to boost the take-home pay of the workers,” the presidential aspirant said.

She also noted that to attract more foreign investments, the government should also cut its corporate income tax rates.

“How can we compete with our neighboring countries which have lower income tax rates, like Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand? The income tax here in the Philippines is one of the highest in Asia,” Poe said.

Currently, income in excess of P500,000 is taxed at 32 percent, making the Philippines as the country in the Southeast Asian region imposing the highest tax rate.

PARTNERS OF EMPLOYERS

Escudero pledged that should they win this May, they will pursue policies that would benefit the workers and treat them as government’s partners.

“The workers should not be treated as business accessory, but partners of their employers. They should grow as their company grows, not like machines being oiled or being run by fuel. The business should be sensitive and should have concern for their workers,” he added.

Aside from pushing for lower personal income tax, Escudero said the minimum wage law should be strictly implemented and the labor contractualization should be stopped.

“We will ensure that all workers are paid at least the current minimum wage and employers are fined or imprisoned if found shortchanging their employees,” he said.

He said there is a need to lower income taxes to help the workers cope with the rising cost of living.

“Slashing the income tax, which at 32 percent is one of the highest in Asia, is the best way to ease the burden of salaried workers,” he said.

APPEAL TO CANDIDATES

The Catholic Church, meanwhile, appealed to candidates in the May 9 elections to make jobs a priority.

Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People, issued the appeal in view of today’s observance of Labor Day.

“There has always been a call for our nation’s leaders to generate more jobs for its citizens. In fact we are hearing this promise from all candidates during this election season and indeed jobs should be at the top of their agenda once elected,” he said in an interview.

“The reality, however, is that more and more Filipinos are seeking jobs abroad. This is because they cannot earn here the money they earn in foreign countries. This is shown in the amount of remittances they bring in to our economy,” added Santos.

The prelate said the government should attend to the problem of employment in the country with vision and determination.

NO CHOICE

While there will again be a host of job fairs all over the country on Labor Day, the CBCP official said it’s lamentable that most of the jobs being offered are for overseas. Under this condition, Santos said “many Filipinos will have no choice but to take this, not counting the cost of separation from their families and loved ones.”

“Filipinos should work abroad by choice and not because they are forced by dire circumstances in their own country,” he said.

The CBCP official also took the opportunity to ask the government to see to it that the rights of Filipinos forced to work abroad are upheld and respected in the host countries, and that they are not exploited or abused.

“Government should also make sure that its own pool of talents is not depleted because of brain drain,” Santos said.

While there might not be an easy solution to the employment problem, the CBCP official is praying that on this day of workers, there will be greater resolve on the part of government to “provide meaningful jobs locally, and to protect, assist, and guide those who have to work abroad so that they may not be exposed to danger and violence, and to abuse, oppression and exploitation.”

The Department of Labor and Employment said there will be 54 job fair sites nationwide for the Labor Day celebration.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Madel Sabater – Namit, Leslie Ann G. Aquino, Ellson A. Quismorio & Charissa M. Luci

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