Leni Robredo presses need to provide Filipinos local jobs

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo called on the government yesterday to focus on how it could provide jobs for Filipinos here in the country so they would not have to work abroad.

Robredo made the statement as President Duterte said Chinese nationals must be allowed to work in the Philippines to avoid retaliation from China that is hosting thousands of Filipino workers there.

“Shouldn’t our policy be to keep the Filipinos here at home? Why don’t we fix the working conditions of the Filipinos here so they don’t need to work abroad and leave their families?” Robredo said in an interview after attending the Ka Pepe Diokno Human Rights Awards 2019 at De La Salle University in Manila.

Robredo pushed for the training of Filipinos for specialized jobs so the country would no longer need to hire skilled workers from other nations.

As this developed, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is taking over the issuance of special work permits (SWPs) to foreign workers upon the effectivity of the 2019 national budget.

In an interview, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the Bureau of Immigration earns P1.5 billion a year from the issuance of SWPs to foreign nationals.

BI issues SWPs to foreign nationals who will work in the country for less than six months.         

According to Bello, the issuance of special work permit was originally a function of DOLE before it was given to BI to avoid delay in the processing of permit for foreign nationals who will work in the country for just a short period.

Bello said DOLE will be needing additional manpower and budget when they take over such function again.

“We do not have the capacity and will be asking for plantilla for such jobs which will also require supplemental budget,” he explained.

Bello also reported that DOLE and other concerned government agencies are set to meet on Friday to address the concern on employment of Chinese and other foreign workers.

The President’s pronouncement drew flak from various sectors, who said there has been no coordination among concerned government agencies as to how SWPs must be issued.

Malacañang on Monday issued a clarification, saying the government will enforce immigration laws on the illegal Chinese workers.

In 2016, the Philippine consulate-general in Hong Kong said there are around 200,000 undocumented Filipinos working as helpers in China. Duterte claimed there are around 300,000.