Number of jobless Filipinos increased instead of declined

The militant labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) clarified that the number of Filipinos without jobs actually rose instead of declined if the latest labor force survey data is examined further.

“If we dig deeper into the jobs numbers, we find that there are more Filipinos without gainful employment in September compared to the previous month in contrast to the declaration of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA),” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair and Marikina city councilor.

He added that “The officially unemployed in September is only 1.96 million, lower than the 2.03 million unemployed in August. But 572,000 Filipinos—classified as either employed or unemployed in August—left the labor force by September. If we add these to the 1.96 million officially unemployed then we arrive at 2.53 million Filipinos without jobs in September.”

Magtubo stated that there is a very strict definition of who is officially unemployed. “If you worked even for just one hour in the previous week then you are already employed. Conversely, even if you are without a job but are not actively looking for work—including if you have gotten tired and/or believe that there is no work available anyway—then you are categorized as not unemployed but instead are outside of the labor force. Either way, the unemployment rate becomes very low due to this very narrow definition,” he said.

“In truth, so many kababayans are without gainful work. Since the private sector cannot offer these kababayans with gainful employment, the government should step in through a jobs guarantee program. Preferably these alternative jobs should be green, decent and long-term instead of the current TUPAD model of emergency work that is mostly sweeping streets,” Magtubo elaborated.

P.I. mode of chacha a dangerous national concern – Partido Manggagawa

 

Screengrab of paid TV ad for charter change

“More than wasting government money and buying people’s will, proponents of charter change via the people’s initiative (P.I.) are destroying the essence of direct democracy with the mockery of the P.I. process itself,” stated Partido Manggagawa (PM) in a statement sent to media Wednesday.

 

“We hate to acknowledge the probability that aside from electing officials through fraudulent electoral means, Marcos Jr.'s New Philippines may also get a new Constitution through vote-buying! This is truly a P.I. in commercial terms – a purchased initiative by all indications,” protested the group in reaction to the barrage of information about the well-oiled P.I. campaign orchestrated on the ground in full speed through the LGUs.

 

PM Chair, Renato Magtubo, warned of the dangerous political and social consequences once traditional politicians (trapo) succeeded in raiding the people’s initiative and appropriating that stolen power for selfish political and business end.

 

“If they can easily purchase a new constitution via P.I., then what will prevent them from making another purchase to perpetuate themselves in power,” lamented Magtubo.

 

The labor group called on the people to oppose and stay away from this trapo-led initiative, by demanding government’s decisive actions on the most urgent national concerns expressed by most Filipinos in the latest survey.

 

Published the other day, survey results showed majority of Filipinos were unhappy with the way the Marcos government is addressing the problems of inflation, and nothing indicates charter change to be one of their most urgent national concerns.

 

At the top of Pinoy’s most urgent concern is controlling inflation (72%), increasing the pay of workers (40%), creating more jobs (28%), reducing the poverty of many Filipinos (25%), and fighting graft and corruption (19%).

 

“These results belie what proponents of the people’s initiative would claim as a groundswell of grassroot support for charter change. “Hindi P100 kada pirma kundi mahigit P100 na wage increase at trabaho ang nais ng mga Pilipino,” emphasized Partido Manggagawa (PM) Chair Renato Magtubo.

 

The labor leader, now Marikina City Councilot, pointed out that as Filipinos bid farewell to 2023, they were hopeful for positive changes in 2024 and beyond. He stated, "Nowhere did we hear a clamor for charter change from the grassroots to address the issues highlighted in the survey. What we are certain about is that the initiative is an organized campaign orchestrated from the higher echelons of power." 

PRESS RELEASE

10 January 2024

Survey Results on Most Urgent Concerns Contradict Demand for Cha-cha via P.I. – Partido Manggagawa

People's initiative petition form being circulated in Cebu

Results of Pulse Asia’s December 2023 survey on Filipino’s most urgent national concerns belie what proponents of the people’s initiative would claim as a groundswell of grassroot support for charter change.

 

Published yesterday, survey results showed the majority of Filipinos were unhappy with the way the Marcos government is addressing the problems of inflation, and nothing indicates charter change to be one of their most urgent national concerns.

 

At the top of Filipinos' most urgent concern is controlling inflation (72%), increasing the pay of workers (40%), creating more jobs (28%), reducing the poverty of many Filipinos (25%), and fighting graft and corruption (19%).

 

“Hindi P100 kada pirma kundi mahigit P100 na wage increase at trabaho ang nais ng mga Pilipino,” emphasized Partido Manggagawa (PM) Chair Renato Magtubo.

 

The statement came in reaction to the organized paid signature drive for chacha monitored by its chapters in many areas around the country in recent days.

 

He added Filipinos bid farewell to 2023 hopeful that things would get better by 2024 and beyond.

 

Magtubo pointed out that as Filipinos bid farewell to 2023, they were hopeful for positive changes in 2024 and beyond. He stated, "Nowhere did we hear a clamor for charter change from the grassroots to address the issues highlighted in the survey. What we are certain about is that the initiative is an organized campaign orchestrated from the higher echelons of power."

 

The group insists that sorely lacking are effective government initiatives to combat inflation, provide substantial wage increases for workers, and address chronic unemployment problems.

PRESS RELEASE

09 January 2024

Golden age is full employment with living wage, safe workplaces, and healthy environment

 

The labor group Partido Manggagawa, on SONA (State of the Nation Address) day, advised their fellow workers not to pin their hopes with the hype of a ‘golden era’ being promoted by the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying the value of this campaign narrative, the same as wages, has already been eroded by hard realities.

 

Because the truth is, argued PM Chair Renato Magtubo, “Never has there been a golden age for workers under any administration and neither will it be realized under BBM, or until full employment, living wage, safe workplaces, and healthy environment are achieved.”

 

Magtubo explained that over the last few decades, the army of unemployed and underemployed dominate the labor force, with the real value of wages failing to catch up with even half of the living wage.

 

In the face of soaring inflation, the real value of the P570 minimum wage in the National Capital Region (NCR) today stood only at P508.02, according to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC). On the other hand, the living wage requirement for a family of five has already reached P1,300/day based on PM’s earlier estimates.

 

Thus, together with the Nagkaisa labor coalition, PM is advocating not only for an outright wage increase but also for a change in wage fixing mechanism and, in addition, a package of universal social protection programs that aims to lower households’ daily cost of living.

 

The country’s workplaces, added Magtubo, remain unsafe as far as workers’ freedom of association is concerned as the anti-union policies of the capitalists do not only enjoy maximum tolerance but are, in so many ways, aided by the state itself such as contractualization (endo), red-tagging and worst, extrajudicial killings.

 

The Philippines remains in the list of 10 countries where trade union work is most dangerous, according to the latest report by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

 

The group pointed out also that despite the unemployment rate tilting back to the pre-pandemic levels, most of the jobs that were either recovered or created remain irregular, self-employment, and low-paid.  Thus, the call of PM and Nagkaisa for employment guarantee and support to key sectors of the economy like the health sector, MSMEs, agriculture, and the environment.

 

Likewise, echoing the claim of climate activists that there’s hardly any jobs to talk about under a burning planet, PM is asking the government that fighting the climate crisis and creating climate jobs be made one of the major priorities of this new administration.

 

“Otherwise, if Marcos Jr. simply goes on as business-as-usual during his first SONA, the rest of his six years will be the same over and over again, or even worse,” concluded Magtubo.

25 July 2022