(JOEL O. AMONGO)

NANAWAGAN ang chairman ng House committee on labor and employment na ipasa ang panukalang bubuo ng national jobs creation plan, na kinakailangan ng bansa para ganap na makabawi mula sa COVID-19 pandemic ang mga Pilipino.

“We need to institutionalize and expand the current National Employment Recovery Strategy or NERS and establish a Jobs Creation Plan (JCP), which would help us address the various labor, social, and economic issues that have cropped up during the pandemic,” ani Rizal 4th District Rep. Fidel Nograles.

Si Nograles ang nag-sponsor ng House Bill No. 8400, o ang Trabaho Para sa Pilipino Act, na itinakda ang botohan sa susunod na linggo.

Sa ilalim ng nasabing panukala, isang Inter-Agency Council for Jobs and Investments ang nakatakdang buuin na naatasang magsagawa ng komprehensibong pag-analisa ng employment situation and labor market sa bansa at paggawa ng medium- and long-term JCPs.

Ang council ay binubuo ng mga pinuno ng National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment, Technical Education and

Skills Development Authority, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Finance, Department of the Interior and Local Government; at mga kinatawan mula sa employers’ organizations, labor groups, marginalized sector at informal sector.

Ayon kay Nograles, ang panukala ay magiging mahalaga sa pagtulong sa mga Pilipino para makahanap ng makabuluhang trabaho.

“We are not only talking about around 2.18 million unemployed Filipinos that comprise our 4.2 percent unemployment rate, but also at least 15.68 million informal workers that have been affected by the closure of various businesses during the pandemic,” dagdag pa ng mambabatas.

Sinabi rin niya na ang JCP ay kasama sa lahat ng national, regional, at local government units sa bansa na walang kinikilingan sa Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at layuning maka-adopt sa kanilang sariling regional employment plan.

“The bill requires the active participation of LGUs, as we recognize their vital role in localizing the JCP and ensuring it will fit the unique context of their jurisdictions,” ayon pa kay Nograles.

“Naniniwala tayong sa muli nating pag-usad, wala dapat maiiwan. Umaasa ako na susuportahan nang lubos ng ating mga kasama sa Kamara ang panukalang ito,” dagdag pa ni Nograles.