Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur P. Tugade has told contractors of the agency's projects to hire more people from the transport sector or overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), particularly those who were left jobless by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Such projects include the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phase 1 Project, Tugade said.
It was during a May 26 inspection of the Valenzuela and Bulacan segments of the PNR Clark Phase 1 Project when Tugade highlighted that some 200 former OFWs were working there.
“Nakita n’yo mga tao dito kanina? Sila ay mga . Kulang-kulang 200 silang nagta-trabaho dito. Ang sabi ko sa mga contractor, paramihin n’yo pa (Did you see the people here earlier? They are OFWs. More or less 200 of them work here. I told the contractors to increase their number)," he said.
"Kung mayroon kayong kapitbahay, kamag-anak, mahal sa buhay, kaibigan na gustong maghanapbuhay, papuntahin n’yo dito. Kung qualified, tutulungan natin. Para nang sa gayon ‘yung 200 ay madagdagan pa (If you have neighbors, relatives, loved ones, or friends who want to work, tell them to come here. If they are qualified, we will help them. So that we would be able to increase the 200)," he noted.
Tugade also called on other displaced workers in the transport sector, including public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and comductors who lost their jobs due the pandemic, to work in DOTr projects.
At least 7,500 workers were employed for the construction of the PNR Clark Phase 1 Project. Tugade said an additional 2,000 jobs will be made available once the railway system becomes operational.
PNR Clark Phase 1,which seeks to link Tutuban in Manila and Malolos in Bulacan--is now 45.82 percent complete.
Once finished, the 38-kilometer (km) rail line will carry 300,000 passengers daily. It will shorten travel time from Malolos, Bulacan to Tutuban, Manila to just 35 minutes, compared to the current one hour and 30 minutes.
The PNR Clark Phase 1 is part of the big-ticket,148-kilometer (km) North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project under the “Build, Build, Build” initiative of the Duterte administration.