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As this developed, some 110,000 local and overseas jobs will be made available during the nationwide job and livelihood fairs spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) that kicks off Saturday in various venues to coincide with the 108th Labor Day anniversary.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Charito Planas said President Arroyo is “supportive” of wage hike increases, but she does not have the final word whether or not such increases will be granted because it is the regional wage boards that will decide.
“Although there is no announcement of any wage increase as of yet, the same is being considered and undergoing review by the regional wage boards. However, still, it is worthy to stress that higher amounts of increase in wages were implemented with 100 wage orders issued in nine years under President Gloria Arroyo’s administration,” she said.
A total of seven wage petitions, including those from Regions 4B, 6, 7, 4B, the National Capital Region, and 9 were being discussed by the wage boards.
Planas said the Arroyo government remains working in full time basis in providing livelihood and conducting fairs to provide jobs in the last stretch of its leadership.
She even noted that before the President steps down, employment and livelihood opportunities as well as foreign investments continuously grow amid the number of disasters and the global financial meltdown that stormed the country.
She said the employment rate rose to 35.47 million by the end of 2009, which is an increase of 2.7 percent from 2008’s 34.53 million, which according to her, “translates to almost a million jobs generated in just one year.”
Last April 27, President Arroyo met with over50 labor leaders, but no assurance of wage increase today, May 1, was arrived at.
The government already earmarked P200 million for the income augmentation of the workers, which is P90 million short from last year’s budget allocated by the administration for such purpose.
Planas noted that under the Arroyo leadership from 2001 to 2009, she managed to provide hike increases in the salary of workers spanning from National Capital Region (NCR) to Autonomous Region in Muslim and Mindanao (ARMM).
She said since she assumed office, the salary in NCR pegged at P382 per day, P210 in ARMM, and P320 in Region 4-A.
“Tranquility in the labor scene took place with the installation of effective measures by the Arroyo administration. The present administration has the lowest recorded incidence of labor-related strike with only four in 2009. The unprecedented and remarkable change in the Philippine Labor scene transpired in years 2007, 2008 and 2009 as the numbers of strikes dropped to a single digit of 6, 5, and 4 respectively,” Planas noted.
Meanwhile, the main job fair will be held at the SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia, Pasay City. The other job fairs in the metropolis will be at SM Megamall, SM North EDSA, SM Fairview, SM San Lazaro, and SM Southmall in Las Piñas City.
Fifteen other regions outside Metro Manila will hold the DoLE job and livelihood fairs dubbed, “Jobs Live!”
“Around 150 employers have committed to make available some 80,000 job vacancies abroad and about 30,000 for local employment,’’ said Labor Undersecretary Lourdes M. Trasmonte, chair of DoLE’s Labor Day 2010 Steering Committee.
(With a report from Shianee Mamanglu)
By CHARISSA M. LUCI
April 30, 2010, 5:48pm
Manila Bulliten
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