A12 Tuesday, October 5, 2021
NEW UK-PHL PACT SEEN TO PROTECT PINOY HCWs By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
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ILIPINO hea lt h- c a re workers (HCWs) bound for the United Kingdom (UK) will soon get better protection under a new bilateral agreement to be signed by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Labor and Employ ment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III will meet with British Minister for Asia Amanda Milling on Friday to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). “Generally, this w ill of course cover the benefits to provide further protection of our health-care workers, especially nurses and other health-care professionals that the Philippines have been deploying and will deploy to the United Kingdom of Great Britain,” Labor spokesperson Rolly Francia said in an online press briefing last Monday. The MOU was supposed to be signed last month with Bello going to the UK, but was postponed when some labor officials were exposed to Covid-19
infection. The accord will be signed after the government earlier exempted the UK from the deployment cap for HCWs. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) imposed the deployment cap to ensure the country will have a sufficient pool of HCWs for the country’s Covid-19 response. As of Monday, POEA Administrator Bernard P. Olalia said less than 500 of the 6,500 slots in the deployment cap remain available. In another matter, Francia said Bello is no longer considering imposing a temporary deployment cap to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This, after the two remaining OFWs employed by an allegedly abusive former Saudi general were finally turned over to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO). He said the two OFWs will soon be repatriated to be with their families. Bello threatened last week to stop the deployment of OFWs due to the delayed turnover of the two domestic workers.
Business groups want mobility curbs on unvaxxed population By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @Tyronepiad
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EVER AL business groups have reached a consensus that the unvaccinated population’s activities should be limited “for the common good,” urging the companies and government to further the Covid-19 vaccination rollout. In a joint statement on Monday, the private sector organizations stressed the need for safe reopening of the economy in a bid to recover amid the pandemic. “While we also steadfastly believe that everyone has the right to decide on vaccination, we do believe that the state and the private sector should be able to restrict the activities of unvaccinated persons for the common good,” they said. The groups said, citing experts, that unvaccinated are more likely to get infected by Covid-19, which would hurt the health-care system. In addition, the private sector representatives said, “there is evidence that unvaccinated persons may be more dangerous carriers of the virus.” “We believe the state should help companies reopen safely to protect and create jobs by allowing them to impose stricter requirements on unvaccinated employees and patrons, and to decline unvaccinated job applicants, in the interest of the health
and safety of both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated,” the statement read. They suggested that the government do the same with their employees. As such, the business groups said this will require a review on the guidelines for vaccination in the workplace. “We encourage companies to exert every effort to provide opportunities for unvaccinated employees to get vaccinated, and do what they can to accommodate them [and others who cannot be vaccinated for valid medical reasons] in the interim, in a way that does not compromise their health and safety and that of other employees,” they said. They also urged the government to continue procuring Covid-19 vaccines to further roll out the inoculation program. The statement was signed by the Bankers Association of the Philippines, Cebu Business Club, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, GoNegosyo, Investment House Association of the Philippines, Makati Business Club and Philippine Business for Education. Other signatories include the Philippine Ecozones Association, Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Philippine Retailers Association, Subdivision and Housing Developers Association, US-Asean Business Council and WomenBizPH.
Tourism sector…
As of August 5, the Department of Tourism has approved 14 staycation hotels in NCR. These hotels include Aruga by Rockwell, Edsa Shangri-La Manila, Grand Hyatt Manila, Hilton Manila, Hyatt Regency-City of Dreams, Joy Nostalg Hotel & Suites, Nobu Hotel, Nuwa Hotel-COD, Okada Manila, Shangri-la at the Fort, Sheraton Manila,
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Solaire Resort and Casino, Peninsula Manila, and Hotel Okura. The DOT has also approved 35 multiple-use hotels, which are quarantine hotels that are also allowed to accept business guests and participants in essential meetings and social meetings and social events, but under strict regulations such as separate entrances, elevators, among others.
Investment in residential construction a ‘win-win-win’
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By Cai U. Ordinario
@caiordinario
VERY $1 million worth of investment in housing construction creates 165 jobs in the Philippines, according to a study commissioned by Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter. The report, titled, “A Ladder UP: The construction sector’s role in creating jobs and rebuilding emerging market economies,” found that an investment of $1 million in housing construction creates an average of 97 jobs in emerging markets. The study was done by economists at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, and the University of Washington. The report focused on 9 countries: the Philippines, Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and Uganda. “Investment in residential construction represents a potential win-win-win in emerging markets because it creates such a large number of jobs locally, helps close stubborn gaps in affordable housing and stimulates the larger economy,” Patrick Kelley, vice president of Habitat’s Terwilliger Center, said. “These findings are critically important for low- and middle-income countries deciding what areas to prioritize as they work to build back economies weakened by the
Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in a world where 1.6 billion people still lack adequate shelter,” he added. The report stated that housing construction’s output multiplier in the Philippines is 2.2 while its employment multiplier is 1.4. The direct employment effect of the housing construction is 119 jobs for every million-dollar investment, while indirect employment effect is 45 jobs per million-dollar investment. Data showed that nearly half or 43.9 percent of workers in the construction sector completed secondary schooling; 26.5 percent completed primary education; and 15 percent’s education is less than primary school level. Only 14.1 percent had degrees. Majority of workers at 62.2 percent are wage/salary workers while 33.6 percent were self-employed. Around 4.2 percent, however, were unpaid workers. In the Philippines, the report said, there are 2.579 million construction workers who represent 6.6 percent of the country’s workforce.
Almost all or 97.6 percent of these workers are male and the average age is 37.1 years old. There are only 62,000 females working in the construction sector. “Overall, the evidence points to strong economic spillovers from the construction industry through backward and forward linkages with other industries and large employment effects both directly and indirectly,” the report stated. “In addition, available estimates for the residential building construction sector are similar, and often somewhat higher than those for non-residential building or other construction sectors,” it added. Habitat said the report provides evidence that many of those jobs
go to workers with lower levels of formal education. These are relatively well-paying jobs compared to other employment options for workers with limited educational attainment, the researchers found. Residential construction dominates the sector, the report found. In Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, for example, residential construction accounts for more than 80 percent of total building construction. The researchers also concluded that measures to improve the working conditions and on-the-job training of construction workers can help urban areas—including those hit hard by the pandemic— develop in a more sustainable, equitable way.
THE Quezon City Public School Teachers Association and the Manila Public School Teachers Association conduct a joint community pantry activity in Tondo, Manila, ahead of World Teachers’ Day, which is celebrated on October 5. They also asked for a salary increase and tax-free honorarium for teachers serving as members of the Board of Election Inspectors, among others. ROY DOMINGO
Bongbong seeks help for struggling transport workers
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HE national government must provide more assistance to transport workers who are still reeling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their livelihood, having been the first hit by strict mobility restrictions. The call comes from former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as he noted the disappointment aired by some transport groups who claim that none of the 800,000 operators, drivers, and transport workers received the allotted funds meant to support them. “Let’s give enough attention and assistance to our countrymen in the transport sector. They are the drivers of jeepneys, taxis and pedicabs who daily must ply their routes to support their families,” Marcos said, speaking partly in Filipino.
A spokesperson from the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) said recently that they were surprised to hear that P5 billion was earmarked for transport workers, because the latter received only a pittance. Piston lamented that it should have been distributed to the workers in all modes of transportation, including buses, taxis, tricycles, and UV Express vans, who were among the hardest hit by the pandemic. According to a 2020 Commission on Audit (COA) report, only P59 million of the P5.58-billion fund allocated to the LTFRB was used for the service contracting program to subsidize operators and drivers to ply their routes to serve those allowed to report for work. Marcos said the service con-
tracting program should continue to supplant the reduced income of PUV drivers. Some drivers reported only earning P250 after a hard day’s work. “This program has a good intention, and it’s only right that the government pursue this because there are drivers who say their daily income plunged to just P250 when they ply their routes,” Marcos added. Marcos also appealed to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to increase the seating capacity of PUJs. This would allow drivers and operators to recoup their losses since passenger numbers are still weak even as the economy slowly reopens and businesses gradually resumes operation. “We hope the IATF considers
increasing the capacity of PUVs. Per information we received, they need to load at least 10 passengers per trip in order to cover just the fuel and other basic costs. But right now, only six to eight passengers are allowed because of the restrictions,” Marcos pointed out, by way of explaining why the transport workers are operating in deficit and continue to be mired in poverty. Marcos also urged the government to ease restrictions among transport workers as they will play an essential role as the country’s economic reopening picks up steam. “Let us ease the restrictions on our transport workers because with the steady reopening of the economy, we will increasingly need their services,” Marcos added.
