State economic managers of the Marcos administration should exhaust all means to help the millions of Filipinos who who are unemployed and have been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada said.

While he disagrees with the government’s proposition to halt the financial assistance or “ayuda” under the proposed 2023 national budget, Estrada said the country’s economic managers would do well to study addressing the gaps in unemployment.

Sa kasalukuyan, nasa halos tatlong milyong Pilipino pa ang bilang ng mga unemployed. Dapat paglaanan ng gobyerno ang mga proyekto at programa na makakapagbigay ng mga bagong trabaho upang matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng mas nakararami lalo na’t patuloy ang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin at cost of living sa ating bansa (Currently, the number of unemployed Filipinos still stands at three million. The government should provide projects and programs that can provide new jobs in order to address the basic needs of the majority especially in light of the increasing prices of basic commodities and cost of living in our country),” Estrada said in a statement.

Estrada, who chairs the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources, also said the government would do well by carefully studying the distribution of cash aid to poor families.

“While I disagree in saying that the distribution of cash aid to poor families beyond 2023 is a waste of public funds, this matter should first be carefully studied considering that we’re still far from defeating the pandemic brought about by COVID-19,” he said.

“Ang paglalaan ng pondo para sa ayuda, sakaling kailanganin na naman ito sa hinaharap, ay dapat pa rin isaalang-alang (It’s necessary to consider allocating funds for financial assistance in the event we suddenly need this in the future),” Estrada said.

“Sang-ayon ako na dapat bigyan ng prayoridad sa ngayon ang mas nangangailangan para magtuloy-tuloy ang pagbangon ng ating ekonomiya (I agree that we need to prioritize for now the needs of the poor to ensure the continuity of our economic recovery),” he further said.