Binay vows more jobs in rural areas

MANILA, Philippines – To address poverty in the country, Vice President Jejomar Binay vowed to create more jobs in rural areas if elected president in the May 9 polls.

“We should increase livelihood. The reason why there are so many poor is because there are no sufficient jobs for our people,” Binay said during a radio interview in Odiongan, Romblon yesterday.

The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) standard-bearer said the Binay administration would focus on massive job-generating sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and business process outsourcing or BPO.

Binay campaigned yesterday in Romblon, which according to the National Statistical Coordination Board, has 40.5 percent poverty incidence rate.

Aside from focusing on the sectors that generate the biggest number of jobs, Binay also vowed to abolish the income tax for workers earning P30,000 and below monthly.

“It is expected to bring relief to more than six million workers in the country, which will enable them to bring home a bigger paycheck every month,” he explained.

He said his administration would also give more subsidies to farmers, especially for fertilizer and irrigation, to increase their agricultural productivity.

The Binay administration would also construct and improve rural infrastructure facilities such as irrigation facilities, farm-to-market roads and postharvest facilities.

“Crop insurance will be pushed to protect farmers, as well as giving farmers and fishermen capacity-building programs to help in their credit-worthiness so that they can avail of financial loans,” he added.

Binay earlier vowed to implement Makati’s Yellow Card program nationwide if he becomes president.

The program provides beneficiaries free maternal, child and elderly care; free outpatient consultations and medicines; and government-subsidized hospitalization on top of PhilHealth benefits.

The Yellow Card program, which Binay started in Makati during his term as mayor, has been recognized by the United Nations-Habitat as one of the world’s best practices.