Government setting up one-stop shop for displaced ABS-CBN workers

MANILA, Philippines — The labor department is set to establish a one-stop shop where retrenched workers, including those who lost their jobs because of the shutdown of ABS-CBN, can seek employment opportunities, Malacañang said yesterday.

Some 11,000 employees of ABS-CBN are at risk of losing their jobs after the House legislative franchises committee refused to renew the television network’s franchise.

The non-renewal, widely seen as an attack on press freedom, happened as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is battering the economy. ABS-CBN has announced that it would implement a retrenchment program on Aug. 31.

“Well, I have good news... I called (Labor) Secretary (Silvestre) Bello (III). He will have a one-stop shop center in NCR (National Capital Region) and for ABS-CBN so the retrenched employees can apply (for jobs). He (Bello) will also have a job referral system. A job fair may also be held. All of these are confirmed by Secretary Bello. This will provide opportunities to ABS-CBN workers who lost jobs,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said at a press briefing.

He clarified though that the one-stop shop and job fair would be open to everyone and not just to former ABS-CBN workers.

At the same press briefing, he described as a “good idea” the proposal to use ABS-CBN’s former frequencies for distance learning.

“It’s a good idea, but this has to be decided upon by (Education) Secretary Leonor Briones and (Commission on Higher Education) chairman (Prospero de Vera),” the Palace spokesman said.

Deputy Speaker Luis Villafuerte Jr. has filed House Resolution 1044 recommending the temporary use by the government of ABS-CBN’s television and radio frequencies for distance learning to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on education.

He said the lack of access to laptops and the internet is posing challenges to learners and students. Edu Punay