By Azer Parrocha/PNA
MANILA — The Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program will prioritize the employment of Filipino skilled workers before hiring foreigners, a public works official said on Wednesday.
“Build, Build, Build” committee chairperson Anna Mae Lamentillo made this remark amid concerns raised by former President Benigno Aquino III over the increased presence of Chinese skilled workers in the country taking over jobs supposedly for Filipinos.
While Lamentillo acknowledged the hiring of Chinese skilled workers for some Chinese-funded infrastructure projects, she stressed that government will still make Filipinos a priority.
“Meron po sila pero (Chinese skilled workers are also being hired but) these are for specialized skilled workers pero yung (but the) priority pa rin po natin would be yung mga (our) Filipino construction (workers),” Lamentillo said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
She admitted that there remains a lack of Filipino skilled workers but was hopeful that job fairs such as the upcoming “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs Caravan” in Subic on Feb. 9 will provide them with thousands of job opportunities.
“May lack po talaga tayo (There is really a lack) of those specialized skills. Because these are methods that we want to learn sana, kaya po tayo kumukuha ng mga (that’s why we get) skilled workers from abroad. But in terms of labor force,ngayon po okay naman po (we’re doing okay),” Lamentillo said.
“We’re doing the ‘Jobs, Jobs, Jobs’ specifically for this — to bridge the gap between Filipino contractors and Filipino laborers,” she added.
Lamentillo said the job fair is also expected to reemploy workers of the Hanjin Heavy Industries Construction Philippines (HHIC Phil.), who have been affected by the company’s rehabilitation.
Citing data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Lamentillo said that Hanjin workers decreased from 17,307 to 3,745 in March 2018.
“We expect that the ‘Jobs, Jobs, Jobs’ Caravan will be able to provide jobs for the displaced workers,” she said.
Around 17,000 jobs will be available for Filipino workers seeking employment and at least 75 contractors will be participating in the job fair.
Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo shrugged off concerns on the Chinese skilled workers in the country saying there is no problem as long as they entered the country legally. (With reports from Jhopay Arellano-OJT/PNA)
