Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Ferdinand Gaite on Tuesday slammed Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque for making light of reports that 45 percent of the workforce in the Philippines lost their jobs during the pandemic.
“Bakit ka magagalak na mahigit 45 percent ‘lang’ ng labor force ang kasalukuyang nawalan ng trabaho?” Gaite said, addressing the Malacañang official.
“Tiyak ako na hindi nagagalak ang mga manggagawang natanggal at ang kanilang pamilya sa lumalalang kalagayan ng ekonomiya, at kawalan ng tulong mula sa pamahalaan,” the Makabayan lawmaker said.
He said Roque was “out of touch and callous” to “celebrate this record-high unemployment rate and the economic hardships being experienced by millions of Filipinos.”
“If there’s anyone who should be jobless, it’s the people behind the botched pandemic response, Roque included. Iyan siguro ang ikagagalak ng nagdurusang sambayanan,” Gaite said.
According to the Social Weather Stations’ national mobile phone survey conducted last July, almost half of all Filipino adults, or around 27.3 million individuals, are currently jobless.
The survey also revealed that 21 percent of adult Filipinos lost their job/livelihood before the pandemic, while another 21 percent lost their job/livelihood during the Covid-19 crisis.
“It’s as if social safety nets are in place to cushion the impact of the economic slump. There are none!” Gaite said.
“Even the financial aid promised during the early period of the lockdown did not reach majority of our workers. Trillions have been borrowed from several agencies, but none of these went to food on the tables of our hungry countrymen,” he said.
“Jeepney drivers are even asking for alms just to stay afloat. Poor families are in their most desperate situation but there’s no help. Walang nakagagalak sa kalagayan nila,” said Gaite.
Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)
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