By Aaron Recuenco
Instead of attacking him and other opposition bets, senatorial candidate Mar Roxas said President Duterte should just focus his attention on the prevailing problems in the country.
For instance, Roxas said Duterte should start mapping out plans to ensure that all those who would graduate in college this month and next month would get a job so that they could help their respective families and the country’s economy as well.
Manuel “Mar” Roxas II (RIO DELUVIO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Ang pinaka-importanteng tugunan natin, halimbawa Marso ngayon, milyon ang papasok sa job market, milyon ang ga-graduate at magiging kabahagi ng labor force. Ano ang mga trabaho na sasalubong sa kanila?,” said Roxas.
“Makikiagaw pa ba sila sa mga Chinese na andito ngayon,” he added.
Earlier, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Ernesto Pernia said the country’s total employment in January 2019 was lower by 0.9 percent compared to last year.
“Continued decline in agricultural employment could be due to rising cost of inputs amid low profit, limited access to credit, poor infra, and vulnerability to environmental risks,” said Pernia in his tweet early this month.
Aside from employment problems, Roxas said the government should also take care of the prices of basic needs, which remain high amid the easing of the inflation rate.
“Itong preso ng bilihin, ang mga misis nagsasabi yung evaporated milk ngayon nasa P18 to P20 na dati rati P15 to P16. So yang dalawang piso na yan kung may anak ka, may sanggol ka, malaking bagay yan. So itong baboy na hinihiwa rito naging P200, P220 ang kilo dati rati P180. So ito yung mga totoo at para sa akin mga importanteng dapat na pinaguusapan at diyan ako tututok,” said Roxas.
This is aside from the water shortage, according to him, that hit parts of Metro Manila the past weeks.
“This global climate change is predictable. Therefore, we can reduce its effect on us. What is important right now is prioritization and the discipline to adhere to what is prioritized,” said Roxas.
“I think one can only move in the right direction if one is aware of the gaps and failures. This can be likened to a doctor who needs to make the correct diagnosis, otherwise one might only be treating the symptoms and not the disorder. It takes 7-10 years to put up a dam. Canals take 3-5 years. These are long-term solution that takes a lot of time. Cloud seeding is a hit-or-miss solution. So right now, we need to prioritize and we need to have the discipline to accomplish this,” he stressed.
Earlier, Duterte criticized Roxas anew, saying his rival during the 2016 presidential elections had accomplished nothing during his stint as public servant.
Roxas lost to Duterte in the 2016 presidential elections.
“Hindi ko na pinapansin yang mga hirit na yan dahil hindi naman importante yan, walang saysay yan,” said Roxas.
READ MORE: Roxas tells Duterte: My loyalty is to the Filipino people