(MANILA BULLETIN)

Ranking House members led by Speaker Martin Romualdez have welcomed the enactment of the "Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act", which they said would facilitate job-generation for Filipinos.

Romualdez was among the government officials who witnessed President Marcos' signing into law of Republic (RA) Act No. 11962 on Wednesday, Sept. 27 in Malacañang.

Also known as the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, the law will create a national employment master plan.

Romualdez said that the enactment of the measure, "underscores our government's commitment to inclusivity, equity, and progress for all Filipinos. It is a testament to the President's vision that a prosperous and thriving nation can only be built on the foundation of gainful employment and economic stability".

RA No.11962 calls for a job-creation plan with three-year, six-year, and ten-year timelines to aid the post-pandemic recovery. It would serve as the State's master plan for employment generation and recovery to realize short-term and long-term goals and visions for the country.

The law creates the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Inter-Agency Council tasked to formulate success measures, key performance indicators, and action components of the TBP Plan.

Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district representative, said the multi-faceted approach of the new law to generate employment will ensure that our country's recovery efforts are both robust and sustainable as he vowed support of the House for the proper implementation of the law.

"We will actively work to implement strategies and initiatives aimed at fostering employment growth across various sectors of our economy," he said.

House Committee on Labor and Employment Chairman Rizal 4th dstrict Rep. Fidel Nograles shared the Speaker’s belief.

“We thank [President Marcos] for signing the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act. This is a necessary measure that will provide more jobs to Filipinos,” said Nograles, the sponsor of House Bill (HB) No.8400 which was the House-approved version of the law.

"Through this law we hope to improve the employability of Filipino workers through various upskilling and reskilling measures amid the changing demands of the post-pandemic environment and the challenges posed by the surge of technology," he said.

He said that the TPB law “recognizes that the issue of employment that one agency alone cannot solve".

For her part, Pangasinan 3rd district Rep. Maria Rachel Arenas, an author of the measure, said President Marcos' move "shows the government’s commitment to ensure economic prosperity and security will be experienced by all Filipinos".

Arenas, chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, said that the master plan will be formulated to address unemployment, underemployment, informal working arrangements, the reintegration of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and other challenges in the labor market.

She said t is also expected to provide skills training to enhance the employability of workers and support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show that the Philippines' unemployment rate rose to 4.5 percent in June, bringing the total number of jobless Filipinos to 2.3 million. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate stood at 12 percent, or 5.87 million Filipinos.