As the number of jobless Filipinos because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to rise, Senator Dick Gordon is urging the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to help them get back on their feet by offering loan programs they can use to start their own businesses.
During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, Gordon proposed the provision of loan programs for displaced Filipino workers, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) through government corporations such as the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) and the Nationwide Development Corporation (NADECOR).
“We can make entrepreneurs out of our people.”
“Ang DOLE, together will all these agencies, ay maaaring magpahiram ng pera para matulungang magkaroon ng investments iyong mga nawalan ng trabaho. Kailangang mabigyan ng pera ang mga tao para ma-train sila o makagawa ng panibagong kabuhayan. We can make entrepreneurs out of our people. May trabaho sila and they will be self-reliant,” the veteran legislator said.
The seasoned lawmaker stressed that once businesses reopen and when people are allowed to work again, the government can create more funding which can be used for other development programs especially as a huge sum of money has been used for the country’s COVID-19 response.
For COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program – Abot-Kamay ang Pagtulong (CAMP-AKAP) for OFWs alone, the government has already allotted P2.5 billion under Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.
“Ang laki-laki na ng perang nagastos natin sa pagbibigay ng pera sa COVID-19 adjustment measures. Hindi po ba panahon na para makakuha tayo ng pabalik naman?” the senator asked.
“Have the labor force tested for COVID-19 before they are allowed to go back to work.”
He also underscored the importance of having the labor force tested for COVID-19 before they are allowed to go back to work.
“What’s important is iyong mga nagtatrabaho, basta na-test sila at nag-negative sa virus, we will lend them money. That is why I am more working on it as there must be a sense of urgency because right now, we are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea,” Gordon stressed.
Kung ayaw natin silang i-test, hindi sila makakapagtrabaho. Kung sila naman ay makakapag-test at magne-negative, dapat makapagtrabaho sila at buksan ang mga kumpanya,” he concluded.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the enforcement of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the country, the Philippines has reported on June 5 its highest-ever unemployment rate of 17.7 percent after companies were forced to close down, leaving 7.3 million Filipinos jobless based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).