La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA)

House Deputy Majority Leader La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega has debunked former president Rodrigo Duterte's claim that his administration fared better in the realm of job generation when compared to incumbent President Marcos.

And Ortega brought the figures to prove it.

He cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which showed that the unemployment rate under the Marcos administration stood at 3.82 percent in 2024--a steep drop from 10.26 percent in 2020 or during the middle of Duterte’s term.

Ortega said this was before the economy struggled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the l2024 unemployment level showed a steady improvement from the 4.35 percent recorded in 2023 and 5.39 percent in 2022. This indicated that the Marcos administration "has successfully fostered economic recovery and employment opportunities".

"Mr. Duterte is fast and loose with his economic numbers. The official data belies his baseless statement," the solon from northern Luzon said.

"His administration did worse when it came to creating employment opportunities. More of our people are employed today under President Marcos Jr. than during his watch,” added fact-checker Ortega.

He said the underemployment rate--a measure of the population who are employed but seeking additional work or longer work hours--also reflected a similar improvement.

“Under Mr. Duterte, underemployment remained above 16 percent from 2017 to 2020 and only marginally improved in 2021 and 2022. Under President Marcos Jr., underemployment has dropped to 11.93 percent in 2024, the lowest in recent years, signaling a shift toward more stable and sustainable employment,” Ortega said.

The House leader further criticized ex-president Duterte’s handling of the economy. He said that said despite having pre-pandemic years to strengthen the labor market, his administration failed to prepare for economic shocks.

“In fact, the Duterte government had time to implement reforms starting in 2016, years before the pandemic,” he underscored.

In contrast, Ortega said the Marcos administration has prioritized job creation, investments and infrastructure development.

“President Marcos Jr.’s leadership has forged by stronger partnerships with private investors, both domestic and international, which has led to sustained job growth. His

administration’s economic strategy focuses on long-term employment solutions, not just short-term recovery measures,” Ortega said.

“If Mr. Duterte and his allies truly care about the Filipino people, they should contribute constructively, rather than distort the facts,” he further said.