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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider COVID vax drive must be ramped up so that 'alarming' PH jobless rate could be checked --- Diokno

COVID vax drive must be ramped up so that 'alarming' PH jobless rate could be checked --- Diokno

Published Nov 4, 2021 02:32 pm

Senatorial aspirant and human rights lawyer Jose Manuel 'Chel' Diokno on Thursday, November 4, sounded the alarm on the rising unemployment rate in the country, saying that ramping up vaccination will allow people to return to work.

Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno (FACEBOOK / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)

“For us to get to a new normal where people can return to work, we need to increase our vaccination rates. This should be the government's top priority so that people can get back to work as soon as possible,” he said.

However, the senatorial aspirant noted that “the increase in the number of jobless Filipinos during the pandemic is very alarming.”

The unemployment rate in the country rose to 8.9 percent, or equivalent to 4.25 million jobless Filipinos, in September 2021 despite the government easing restrictions in many parts of the Philippines, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Thursday.

This is the highest unemployment rate in 2021 so far, or since the PSA began releasing the monthly labor force data.

READ: Jobless Filipinos jump to 4.2 million in Sept.

Economic experts agree that the rise in the unemployment rate is mostly due to the lockdowns in September when the COVID-19 cases surged in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Even as the capital region enforced a new alert level scheme in the second half of September, it remained largely in heavy restrictions that forced businesses to close.

In August, the unemployment rate was at 8.1 percent, or equivalent to 3.88 million Filipinos.

“Based on data from the PSA, a large part of unemployed Filipinos lost their jobs due to the lockdowns being enforced by the government,” Diokno said, citing the PSA’s report that around 28.1 percent of unemployed Filipinos blamed the lockdowns for their lack of work.

“Because of these numerous lockdowns, most of our countrymen have been prevented from going out of their homes and working to provide for the needs of their family,” he added.

Diokno, who heads the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) that provides free legal aid to victims of abuses and poor Filipinos, is running again for senator after being defeated during the 2019 midterm elections.

He is running under the ticket of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Kiko Pangilinan.

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PSA alarming covid-19 vaccination SENATORIAL ASPIRANT Chel Diokno Unemployment rate
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