MANILA, Philippines – The COVID-19 pandemic has brought an unprecedented economic crisis to the Philippines that affected millions of Filipino workers.

Panelists who joined the second episode of the #AtinAngPilipinas town hall emphasized the need to be on the lookout for government aspirants with plans and platforms that will promote the welfare of Filipino workers. This discussion took off from the #AtinAngPilipinas agenda created by more than 150 organizations, economic and labor advocates who are part of the #PHVote and #CourageON: No lockdown on rights coalitions. 

Change in priorities, create more jobs

Given this situation, voters need to focus on electing leaders who can bring real solutions to the table. One of ways to go about this, according to IBON Foundation executive director Sonny Africa, is to invest in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) constituting 63% of the country’s workforce.

MSMEs suffered the brunt of the economic downswing from the quarantine periods: around 26% of 1.5 million MSMEs had to partially or temporarily halt operations, and menial aid was given to only 500,000 MSMEs. 

Given that MSMEs contribute 40% of the country’s gross domestic product, Africa emphasized that assisting the sector would expedite the Philippines’ economic recovery. Africa urged the next administration to support smaller businesses so they can thrive and ultimately contribute to job creation. 

Aside from MSMEs, leaders should also promote public employment programs to address mass unemployment, a long-standing problem even before the pandemic.

Despite this suggestion, Africa also stressed that priorities of the next administration need to change. For a time, the government viewed loaning money as a viable option for pandemic response and economic stimulation. The Philippines has a mounting debt of P12 trillion as of January 2022.

While loans provide some benefit to the economy, Africa stressed that loans should be used appropriately. Government loans amid the pandemic should have been used to bring more financial aid to affected Filipinos, including the MSMEs and not largely on infrastructure projects, he said.

“Ang laki ng inutang. Hindi ginamit sa tama. May nakinabang, mga mayayaman pero hindi ordinaryong Pilipino (We have a mounting debt and it wasn’t used properly. Someone else benefitted from it, the rich, not ordinary Filipinos),” Africa said.

Strengthen agricultural industries 

Alongside this, Africa also reiterated that the country must revive local manufacturing and agricultural sectors to address job insecurity.

“Habang hindi pinapalakas ang lokal na industriya at lokal na agrikultura, hindi sasapat ang trabaho sa Pilipinas. Mangingibang bansa ang mga PIlipino at magkakasya na lang sa ano mang di-diskartehan,” Africa said. 

(There won’t be adequate jobs in the country unless local industries and agricultre are strengthened. Filipinos would continue to seek work in other countries and make do with what they get.)

For Unyon ng Manggagawa ng Magsasaka vice president Ariel Casilao, the next administration should prioritize legislating comprehensive subsidy programs for capital, crafting policies towards genuine land reform and providing channels for output distribution. This, he said, would help solve the prevailing problems in the agriculture sector. 

“Our agriculture is dying. [Despite the capacity] of our local farmers to produce what consumers did. [There will be no real] rural development and self-sufficiency  if your productive forces do not have the resources),” Casilao stressed in a mix of English and Filipino. 

Casilao also criticized the Rice Tariffication Law, which lifted import limits on rice, and in the long-term would result in billions worth of losses in revenues and heavy reliance on exporting countries.

He then pointed out the need for leaders who understand that the Philippines has the tools for the agriculture industry to address food insecurity and for the country not be dependent on food imports.

Farmers should get better working conditions and proper equipment, among other forms of assistance, Casilao said.

 “Pinapasok ang milyon na metric tons ng bigas, at 60,000 na metric tons na imported na galunggong. Kaya naman sana ang ating kalupaan at magsasaka, pero bakit sinasandig natin ang supply ng pagkain natin sa imports?” voiced Casilao. 

(We import millions of metric tons of rice, and 60,000 metric tons of galunggong. Our land and farmers can produce the desired demand, but why do we rely on imports for our food supply?)

Comprehensive plans to promote mobility

The next leaders should also address the welfare and day-to-day concerns of Filipino workers, in general.

Policy Researcher Katreena Chang of the Move as One Coalition said voters should elect leaders who will prioritize reliable public transportation for Filipinos commuters and provide stable jobs for transportation workers.

She stressed the importance of prioritizing transportation projects that will boost the provision of basic services to workers. These include projects that would alleviate transportation difficulties in getting to work, which posed a big problem during the pandemic. 

Chang also underscored the importance of developing comprehensive public transportation plans rather than focusing on short-term objectives that benefit the private motorists.

“It’s  one of the main, fundamental public service [that should be offered] to the people… Kailangan na maisip, yung mga manggagawa. Maraming transport workers ang hindi naka biyahe. Kung hindi makabiyahe, walang livelihood. Kailangan itong pag-usapan at i-address kung ano ba talaga ang gagawin (We must also consider the workers. Many transportation workers are unemployed due to unreliable transportation. We need to address this),” Chang said.

Africa said candidates should present clear plans for long-term structural problems.

“Ang dapat maging malinaw sa atin [ay] ang problema ay hindi lang short-term pandemic. May long term tayong structural na problema at dapat singilin lahat ng mga kandidato, ano ang plano ‘nyo?” Africa said.

(It should be clear to us that the current problems are not just due to the short-term pandemic. We have long-term structural issues, and we should continually ask candidates what their plans are.)

The town hall happened on Saturday, February 26, organized by MovePH, Samahan at Ugnayan ng mga Konsyumer para sa Ikauunlad ng Bayan (SUKI) network, IBON Foundation, Center for Trade Union and Human Rights, Move as One Coalition, Now You Know, #PHVote and #CourageON coalitions.

It is the second episode in a series of town halls aimed to zero in on pertinent societal issues, especially in light of the upcoming 2022 national and local elections. The next town hall is scheduled on March 19, this time focusing on education.  – with reports from Mikee Cambiado and Kristen Matias/Rappler.com 

Mikee Cambiado is a Rappler volunteer from the University of the Philippines Manila. She is a 3rd year student taking up Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies.

Kristen Matias is a Rappler volunteer from the Ateneo De Manila University. She is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Legal Management, and Minor Degrees in English Literature and Development and the Law.