RP welcomes high-level ILO mission

 

The Philippines has accepted the proposal of the International Labor Organization (ILO) to send a high level mission that, among others, would consult with various stake holders to obtain a better understanding of the allegations of violation of ILO standards on workers freedom and protection to organize, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said.

 

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said that Undersecretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz announced before the Committee on the Application of Standards of the on-going 98^th Session of the International Labor Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland the Philippine Government's acceptance of the high level ILO mission in the country.  Baldoz heads the Philippine Tripartite Delegation to the ILC.

 

Roque said the request for the Philippine Government to accept the ILO mission was made during the 96^th Session of the ILC in 2007 following the debates on the Philippine compliance with ILO Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize.

 

ILO Convention No. 87 is one of the eight ILO core Conventions ratified by the Philippines on  December 29, 1953. It provides for the right of the workers and employers without any distinction, to establish and join organizations of their own choosing, with a view to further and defend their interest, without authorization.

 

Roque said the government welcomes the ILO mission to the Philippines after the tripartite partners adopted the Philippine Decent Work Common Agenda 2008-2010 with the theme: "Narrowing Decent Work Deficits".  He said that thorough consultations with implementing government agencies and social partners have been made to pave the way for country's acceptance of the ILO mission.

 

He said the ILO mission aims to clarify issues and identify areas in which ILO could provide technical support and assistance on the application of ILO Convention No. 87 including guaranteeing the freedom and protection of workers and unionists.  He added that the mission's mandate is to recommend legislative, judicial, and policy reforms with a view to harmonize national laws and practice for the effective application of Convention No. 87.

 

At the ILC, Baldoz said the country welcomes the opportunity for the High ILO mission to have direct contacts with the complainants in the ILO cases and concerned competent authorities.

 

This will enable the ILO mission to have a better appreciation and understanding of the cases as well as government initiatives towards ensuring the full protection guaranteed under ILO Convention No. 87, Baldoz said adding that direct contacts with complainants and with concerned competent authorities will also enable the ILO mission to recommend appropriate measures towards ensuring fair investigation, prosecution and conviction of the violators.

 

Baldoz also said that several tripartite initiatives were lined up under the Decent Work Agenda such as: labor reforms harmonizing national law in conformity with Convention 87, labor education program, capability building, social dialogue, among others toward strengthening Philippine compliance with the ILO ratified Conventions.

 

This year's ILC also highlights the debate and discussion on the impact of the economic and financial crisis, with visiting heads of states, prime ministers, labor ministers and heads of financial institutions as discussants. A first ever three-day Summit on Global Jobs Crisis is also scheduled as a venue where policy responses at the national and international level would be discussed to address the job crisis.

Citi: Philippines Macro View: Proposed Samurai Bond Issue as the Fiscal Gap Swells

                                                                  Subject
                                    Philippines Macro View: Proposed     
                                    Samurai Bond Issue as the Fiscal Gap 
                                    Swells                                
                                                                          
                                                                          
                                                                          
                                                                          
                                                                          
                                                                          
                                                                          

                                                   
                                                                          
                                                                          
                                                                          
                                                                       
                                                                          
                                                                          
        Proposed JPY bond issuance of US$500mn - The planned Samurai   
        bond issuance of US$500mn with JBIC guarantee could ease       
        pressure on a local bond market that remains wary of higher     
        debt supply risk following the government's recent revision     
        of its FY09 fiscal deficit target to 3.2% of GDP (from the     
        previous 2.5%), and the likelihood of ratings action by         
        long-term credit rating agencies in view of a swelling fiscal   
        deficit. We anticipate less selling pressure on the             
        intermediate- to long-end in the near-term on the news.         
        Neutral to ROP and CDS spreads - We view that ROP spreads and   
        CDS spreads should not react negatively to the planned         
        Samurai bond issuance since it does not expand ROP supply.     
        With local banks having modest JPY deposits in their FCDU       
        books, we may see modest onshore demand for the planned JPY     
        bond issuance.                                                 
        Other key benefits/costs - The JBIC guarantee on the Samurai   
        bond issuance lowers the interest cost than otherwise would     
        have been obtained. It's not the maiden Philippine issue,       
        although the last Samurai bond issuance was in 2000, when the   
        government floated 55bn Yen (~US$325mn) of 5-year bonds with   
        a coupon rate of 3.2%. Increased Yen exposure in a weak         
        US$/Asia setting would be a disincentive from a liability       
        management point of view, but not a major one. Government       
        debt exposure to Yen-denominated foreign debt (arising from     
        ODA borrowings [US$8.76bn] and bonds [US$508mn]) was roughly   
        24% of total government foreign loans as of Feb-2009. Aside     
        from the relatively low interest cost with the guarantee, the   
        Japanese government's program lacked 'pre-conditionalities',   
        another interesting facet of the program, although we suspect   
        that having the IMF's 'seal of good housekeeping' under the     
        usual Fund's program policy monitoring would be still be       
        needed. The government may want to test investor appetite in   
        the Samurai bond market, while perhaps reserving a larger       
        Samurai bond float with JBIC's guarantee to fund next year's   
        budget program.                                                 
        Revise lower our fiscal deficit forecast to 4.5% of GDP from   
        2.5% previously - The combination of weak cyclical             
        environment and a tax to GDP ratio likely stalled in the       
        range of 12%-13%, could lead the fiscal deficit to balloon to   
        Php350bn or roughly 4.5% of GDP. At 12%, the low end of the     
        range, the fiscal gap could expand to more than Php400bn or     
        5.3% of GDP. We note the tax to GDP ratio trend (using         
        Hodrick-Prescott filter) stabilized at close to 14%, but the   
        first quarter actual estimate of the tax to GDP ratio (11.5%)   
        fell way below this estimate. Raising this ratio to the range   
        of 12%-13%, still below the tax ratio trend, and without       
        benefit of new revenue measures, would still be deemed a       
        sanguine fiscal scenario.                                       
                    To view this full article click on the link below:   
                        https://www.citigroupgeo.com/pdf/SAP28280.pdf    

‘Stay focused on addressing oil price volatility’—Recto

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph G. Recto said that the National Economic and Development authority (NEDA) should "not be
distracted from keeping prices stable, including that of oil, to help consumers anticipate and handle price changes."

"Despite grumblings of Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, we should be forward-looking and stay focused on addressing oil price volatility. In
fact, we are happy this is now being talked about since our concern is that in the current framework of a deregulated downstream oil industry, somebody
must take the side of the consumers. And we are the one taking their side," said Recto, who is also NEDA director-general.

In July last year, crude reached more than US$130 per barrel and consumers reeled from the high pump prices. They took a breather though when crude
plunged to about US$40/bbl but prices are again on the rise and this does not bode well for the economy as well as the consumers. Today, Dubai crude
is about US$70/bbl.

Recto clarified that: "It is not our intention to pick a fight or quarrel with anyone especially during these challenging times. We certainly value a
united Cabinet as well as cooperation among its members. But we cannot be sitting silently as an oversight agency in charge of national development
in this situation of volatile oil prices when we know just how much oil prices impact on the economy".

He explained that both the national economy and the consumers have "very little fiscal space and are very sensitive to prices".  Thus, reduced fuel
prices translate to lower transport costs and lower food prices, which he noted "benefits all especially the poor, as their purchasing power increases".

The NEDA chief earlier warned of changing oil prices and the need to temper this to flatten out the volatility and cushion the impact on the economy
and the consumers. "So we sought ways to address this issue. We came up with our own computations and went over these numbers with Secretary Reyes
last year. He had said then that oil companies keep a 30-day inventory and thus, we factored that in when we talk about current pricing. We also have
included VAT in our pricing computations," Recto said.

He added the NEDA computations serve as a benchmark to say if oil prices are expensive or not.

Recto related that in a May 29 meeting with the Energy Department and oil companies, it was agreed that the latter would submit their audited
financial statements for NEDA's review with the end goal of coming up with a fair and transparent pricing system. Upon reviewing these statements,
Recto said NEDA still needs additional data from the oil companies pertaining to sales, cost build-up, production cost, paid taxes, supply,
demand, and market share.

The socioeconomic planning secretary also debunked Reyes' statement that the NEDA personnel are unaware of the agency's computations. He noted that
the NEDA Chief of the Industry Division of NEDA's Trade, Industry and Utilities Staff made the presentation in the said meeting.

PGMA ALLOTS P20 MILLION FOR ROAD IMPORVEMENT WORKS IN ZAMBOANGA CITY

In her recent visit in Zamboanga City, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the release P20 Million for the immediate improvement of R.T. Lim Boulevard in Zamboanga City.
Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes E. Ebane Jr. said that the improvement of the Lim Boulevard will greatly improve the traffic condition in Zamboanga City as it serves as one of the main access roads going in and out of the metropolis.
" Zamboanga City is one of the busiest City in Mindanao. For the year 2008, records shows that the Zamboanga City Airport is the 2nd busiest airport in the country that's why keeping the road network in top condition within the city is vital for the economic activities in the area" Ebdane said.
DPWH Region IX Director Pedro Herrera said that the road rehabilitation works is also expected to generate a total of 30 new employment opportunities skilled and unskilled from the locality.
" In the the implementation of the Department's regular infra program, the DPWH Region IX Office has already generated a total of 1,322 skilled and unskilled workforce for the entire Zamboanga Peninsula" Herrera added.

ZERO REMITTANCE SA UNANG ARAW NG CON-ASS!

Note: Press Release from Migrante

Please follow the link and be part of our campaign.. ZERO REMITTANCE sa Unang Araw ng CON-ASS!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/migranteinternational
please spread it out.
thanks for the support!

Migrante International Campaign/Prop Committee

OFW case spurs formation of anti-trafficking body for migrants in Taiwan

 

 

Migrante International, a global alliance of Filipino migrant organizations, welcomed the decision of the Taiwanese government to form an anti-trafficking group that will investigate human trafficking cases.

 

"This is a positive development borne out of the recent complaint filed by 10 OFWs at the Taiwan's National Immigration Agency with the assistance of an NGO called the New Immigrants Labor Rights Association (NILRA)," Garry Martinez, chairperson of Migrante explained.

 

The special body is going to be composed of the National Immigration Agency, Court Police, Foreign police and the National Police Agency. Taiwan's Council of Labor Affairs, for its part will take care of providing the workers NT$10,000 as allowance and working permits as the workers are allowed to work in any job category while the case is being heard.

 

Ten OFWs in Jia Chiarng Company recently lodged a complaint against underpayment of their salary and the confiscation of their passports by their brokers. The National Immigration Agency of Taiwan recently concluded that Jia Chiarng Company and its broker are guilty of Labor Trafficking due to slave-like wages and confiscation of passports of its migrant workers.

 

"How ironic that a foreign government has shown more concern in taking legal actions against employers found guilty of trafficking Filipinos while the Philippine government officials remain inutile in going after abusive employers," adds Martinez.

 

Martinez specifically named MECO Labor Attache Rodolfo Sabulao who has allegedly been remiss in immediately blacklisting Jia Chiarng Company. 

 

"On Januray 22, our chapter in Taiwan informed Sabulao that OFWs were being severely exploited by the said company. They also recommended that Jia Chiarng be blacklisted." Martinez explained. "But instead of acting upon the complaint, Sabulao asserted that the company's contracts were legal even if there was an existing POEA-approved contract verified by Sabulao himself."

 

The group called for the "immediate recall of Sabulao, not only in his ineptness in providing protection for OFWs, but so he cannot put any other OFW in harm's way."

 

"Sabulao and MECO itself must be investigated. There have been so many complaints against the agency. The latest decision of Taiwan's immigration agency just affirmed that MECO and Sabulao are not doing their jobs at all!" Martinez exclaimed. 

 

Migrante also highlighted the positive role of local NGO's assisting the migrant workers in Taiwan.

 

"The local NGOs are more reliable than the likes of Mr. Sabulao and MECO. We urge OFWs in Taiwan to report all anomalous practices of MECO as we are planning to file cases against them in the Ombudsman and other appropriate bodies," Martinez concluded.

Chiz pushes 'roads for peace' in Mindanao

Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero yesterday said a massive infrastructure program for Mindanao will be key to spurring growth and putting an end to the Mindanao armed conflict.

"Higher road density leads to lower poverty incidence. An accelerated infrastructure development, particularly in Mindanao, can bring to fruition the long-held belief that the region is the country's land of promise," Escudero said.

"An accelerated infrastructure program for Mindanao can address the socio-economic issues in the region. A 'roads-for-peace' plan, anchored on poverty alleviation and social advancement through economic activity, can effectively address Mindanao's ills," the opposition senator said.

He noted that a 10-percent increase in road access, coupled with social interventions such as education, can raise by at least one percent the income of the poor.

Mindanao has an existing national road network of 7,815 kilometers, but bulk of the region's road infrastructure, about 60,000 kilometers, is considered local, with only 5.5 percent paved.

"More roads mean more access for both sellers and buyers. More roads will pump-prime local economies through investments and tourism. By increasing economic activities in Mindanao, we will be providing opportunities for the region to maximize its potential as a major growth area," Escudero said.

 He also assailed the government for its dismal failure to prop up infrastructure.

"The Arroyo administration has been ineffective in developing the country's infrastructure. Take the case of the Road Users Tax, which in 2008 reached P8 billion. Disbursements favored safety signs despite the clear legislative intent as to the use of at least 70 percent of the proceeds for road surface maintenance," he said.

Escudero also said the Arroyo government is hounded by transparency issues.

"When I joined Congress 11 years ago, the Department of Budget submitted a specific price list of specific item such as a classroom or kilometer of road or a linear meter of a bridge. Today, there is no cost ceiling for a big-ticket road project," the senator lamented.

Escudero said the sorry state of the country's roads has resulted in billions of pesos in vehicle maintenance and repair costs. Citing World Bank statistics, he said about P42 billion is lost annually to road accidents caused by bad roads and the lack of or poor road signs.

 

RP leads 'World Day Against Child Labor'

The Philippines joins the annual celebration of the "World Day Against Child Labor' with a renewed determination to shield children from the menace, and rescue, rehabilitate, and uplift its victims through specific initiatives under the ongoing Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL),  the Department of Labor and Employment said. 

 

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said that in this regard, the DOLE-led National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) will convene an important conference to push further the gains of the campaign against child labor in the Philippines.

 

"The meeting will highlight the thrusts against the exploitation of girls in child labor, as 2009 globally,  marks the 10^th anniversary of the adoption of the landmark ILO Convention No. 182, or the Convention Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms Child Labor."

 

The NCLC Meeting will be led, in her capacity as the NCLC Chair, by Labor Undersecretary Lourdes A. Trasmonte in Manila on June 15, 2009, as part of the global and national observances of the World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL) this year.

 

Conscious of the global impact and continuing urgency of the global thrusts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor endangering the world's children, the Geneva, Switzerland-based International Labor Organization (ILO)  had earlier set the theme of the 2009 WDACL, "Give girls a chance: End Child Labor," in a broad, multi-lingual format notably among Hispanic peoples ("Demos una oportunidad a las niñas: Erradiquemos el trabajo infantil"); the French-speaking nations of the world ("Donnons une chance aux filles: Eliminons le travail des enfants"), and other areas. 

 

Trasmonte indicated that definitely, the NCLC Meeting will focus on a new ILO-IPEC (International Program for the Elimination of Child Labor) Project on Child Labor in the Philippines, in consonance with the World Day Against Child Labor.

 

Trasmonte  emphasized that the ILO had first initiated the World Day Against Child Labor on June 12, 2002, as a way to highlight the plight of the hundreds of millions of girls and boys throughout the world engaged in work that violates their rights as children and as human beings, and deprives them of adequate education, health, leisure, and basic freedoms.   

 

She  said that in this regard, the observance of the WDACL serves as a catalyst for the growing worldwide movement against child labor, duly reflected globally in the huge number of ratifications affirming ILO Convention No. 182, as well as ILO Convention No. 138 on the minimum age for employment.   

 

Mirroring the Philippines' own strong movement applied against the menace, Trasmonte added that the NCLC Meeting will involve the active participation of the Three Plus (3+) Social Partners,  who include government agencies, employers groups, workers' organizations, international development organizations, as well as the prominent non-government organizations in the thick of the fight against child labor, which are primarily the Visayan Forum Foundation; World Vision Development Foundation; End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT Philippines), and others; along with the RP-based ILO-Subregional Office for South-East Asia and the Pacific headed by Director Linda Wirth; and a child representative. 

 

Amidst the development, DOLE Bureau of Women and Young Workers (BWYW) Director Chita DG. Cilindro indicated that the DOLE-led Sagip Batang Manggagawa (or child rescue) Program succeeded in rescuing 2,711 child laborers through a total of 806 rescue operations conducted  since 1993 up to 2008. Director Cilindro further reported that determined DOLE efforts have also triumphantly enforced the closure of, and the filing of criminal charges for violation of anti-child labor laws against nine establishments exploiting child laborers in 2008 alone.

 

The BWYW, which Cilindro  leads amidst its efforts to promote the welfare of women and young workers, will closely assist and reinforce the conduct of the NCLC Meeting on June 15, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., preceded by a Media Forum highlighting the World Day Against Child Labor at the Max's Restaurant, Maria Orosa Street, Manila, from 10:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m.       

Philippines and Bulgarian Friendship Community celebrated its first Anniversary of the 111th Philippines Independence Day in Sofia, Bulgaria

Philippines and Bulgarian Friendship Community celebrated its first Anniversary of the 111th Philippines Independence Day in Sofia, Bulgaria

111th Anniversary of the Philippines Independence Day                                                                Dated: June 13, 2009 -- Sofia, Bulgaria By: Leonardo Henrico Trinidad Public Relation Consultant   The Filipino and Bulgarian Community based in Sofia, Bulgaria celebrated last June 13, 2009 its first ever Anniversary of the 111th Philippines  Independence  Day, lead by the Consul of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of Bulgaria, a.h., Honorable Ognian Trajanov together with his loving wife and two children and the volunteer staff Ms. Maria Virginia to assist all the Filipino community to have a wonderful celebration.   Filipinos participate to the said occation to make there first ever friendship community Anniversary on Philippines Independence Day with Bulgarian friends and family to get together and to share their experience out-side Philippines and to commemorate the history of the 111th Philippines Independence Day in Sofia, Bulgaria.   The commemoration of the 111th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence this year is the beginning of the new Friendship relation between the two country by forming the friendship community and camaraderie and to exchange new ideas and cultural experience and to share its good intelectual human behavior by knowing each other.   The Filipino community thanks and acknowledges the local Filipino families and others who gave their kind support, valuable help with the catering and general participation to make the function a most enjoyable and a great and memorable success, sponsored by the Consul of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of Bulgaria, a.h., Honorable Ognian Trajanov.   last 07 June 2009 – The Philippine Embassy in Bucharest hosted a meeting with the Filipino community, the meeting was attended by few Filipinos, Ms. Ma. Teresita C. Daza convened the meeting as the new Consul General and concurrent CDA of the Embassy. The meeting provided an opportunity for the community to share its concerns and discuss possible joint projects and forming the new friendship community in Bulagarian counterpart. Among the projects identified were: the formation of an association, the preparation of a manual that will present some essential tips and information for new comers in Bulgaria and possible informal sessions on information and skills sharing and exchange. The response to these plans was positive and encouraging to continue the services provided by the office of the Consul of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of Bulgaria, a.h., Honorable Ognian Trajanov.   the celebration of the 111th Anniversary of the Philippines Independence Day is to preserve and promote Filipino ideals, values, culture, customs and traditions and to build closer relationship with other Filipino community groups in Sofia and other city in Bulgaria.   To encourage the closeness of Filipinos around Bulgaria and their associated and related spouses of / or life partners and families actively participate in the celebration of the Anniversary of 111th Philippine Independence Day with Progress, Prosperity and Solidarity for our fellow Filipinos and Bulgarian communities and efficient and favourable response to our efforts to organize and conduct a memorable, worthy and successful event that will serve this as a good foundation of the Friendship Community.   The Filipino and Bulgarian friendship community acknowledge Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo the current Philippine President. for her commitment to help and to build new relation with Filipino Overseas Worker and business plans togerther with H.E. Dr. Alberto G. Romulo, Secretary of Foreign Affairs.   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

GMA fomenting political, constitutional crisis -- Chiz

Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero yesterday accused President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of fomenting a political and constitutional crisis by fueling speculation about her plans for next year's polls.

"The President should put an end to these endless speculations about her political plans for next year by declaring once and for all whether she will run for Congress in 2010," Escudero said.

"An honest and forthright declaration of intentions will avert a political crisis in the making," he added.

Escudero said the speculations, being fanned by the President and her allies are alarming when taken in the context of moves in the House of Representatives to amend the Constitution through a constituent assembly.

"Her allies are now scrambling to push Con-Ass. Why? And the President's body language indicates there is nothing to stop her from running for Congress in her hometown should she decide to do so. Why?," Escudero asked.

The 39-year old lawyer-senator also said the President is not barred from running for any other position other than the presidency in the May 2010 elections.

Escudero, who is chair of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of laws, also said President Arroyo can stay on in office even as she bids for another elective post.

"If she does run, delicadeza dictates that she steps down from the presidency when she files her certificate of candidacy," he said.

"If she declares her intentions as early as now, it will clarify a confused political situation, already muddled by rear-guard attempts by her allies to railroad charter change," Escudero said.

He said that the line of succession is clearly explained under Article 8 of the Constitution. None of the elected officials, from President, Vice President, Senate President, and House Speaker are obligated resign if they run for other elected posts.

 If they do resign, then Chief Justice Reynato Puno will head the caretaker government until the new president takes his oath of office.

 "As things stand, President Arroyo's greatest legacy would probably be a peaceful transfer of power to the real winner when she steps down on June 30, 2010," Escudero said.

RP’s labor market situation improves

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the labor market situation improved as the employment level in the country expanded by 4.3 % in April 2009, indicating that the steps taken by the government to help workers cope with the global economic slowdown have begun to pay off.

 

Citing the April 2009 labor force survey (LFS) of the National Statistics Office (NSO), Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said the total employed persons in absolute terms increased to 34.993 million in April 2009 from 33.535 million in the same period last year. This translates to a net addition of 1.458 million employed persons in the labor force.

 

Correspondingly, Roque said that unemployment decreased to 7.5% in April from 8.0% a year ago.   This corresponds to total unemployed persons of 2.830 million, a reduction of 84,000 from the previous year level.

 

Roque said the increase in the number of employed persons underscored the government's focus on employment generation and preservation as a crucial strategy aimed at helping the people cope with the economic crunch.

 

The measures taken by the government to generate jobs include the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) that employs low-income and unemployed workers in various government projects. The program also extends enterprise development services to needy workers who want to engage in small business enterprises.

 

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo also issued Executive Order 782 on February 10, 2009 directing all government agencies and instrumentalities to allocate and utilize 1.5 percent of their budget for operating expenses for the temporary hiring of qualified displaced workers and their dependents.

 

The government, at the same time, intensified the provision of training scholarships to equip worker-beneficiaries with skills that are essential in their search for jobs.  Meanwhile, the DOLE issued early this year guidelines for establishments opting to implement flexible work arrangements as an option to retrenchment of workers.

 

The measures, Roque said, have started to reap benefits with the expansion of the employment level in April this year.  He added that the employment increase augurs well in the efforts to raise people's incomes and consumption and subsequently economic activities.

 

The DOLE Chief noted that employment growth occurred in all sectors except in manufacturing.  The top employment gainers were agriculture, hunting and forestry (+390,000), wholesale and retail trade (+358,000), public administration (+133,000), construction (+108,000).  Other notable gainers were real estate, renting and business activities (+70,000), and other community, social and personal services (+64,000).

 

By class of workers, growth occurred among self-employed persons and wage and salary workers, upped by 8.0% (+803,000) and 2.5% (+445,000), respectively, from their year ago levels.

 

For the same period, persons in part-time employment increased by 19.9% or 2.377 million as persons in full-time employment declined by 4.5% or 925,000.

As unemployment rate in April improved to 7.5 percent ; NEDA PUSHES FOR ACCELERATED SPENDING BY GOVERNMENT TO FURTHER CREATE QUALITY JOBS

With an improved unemployment rate in April recorded at 7.5 percent based on the Labor Force Survey of the National Statistics Office (NSO), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is urging the government to accelerate spending to gain back lost remunerative jobs and create more with better quality.

"In the crisis you would expect unemployment to worsen, as it did in many other countries. But here, unemployment even improved and that's because of the implementation of the Economic Resiliency Plan (ERP). With the domestic economy gaining more traction and as there are early indicators of the bottoming-out of the global crisis, it is paramount for government to accelerate its spending to return lost remunerative jobs, if not create better quality ones," Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA Director General Ralph G. Recto said.

        He further recommended to (1) fast-track the infrastructure projects in the next three quarters of the year to absorb the displaced workers from the construction sector and its allied industries; (2) intensify and improve the regular monitoring of the accomplishments of the government's Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) and the commitments of the private sector on employment creation; (3) continue the tripartite (government, business, and labor) dialogue focusing on improving firm-level productivity given the benign possibility of wage discussions this year, so that industries are better prepared for competition in the eventual race for the rebound; (4) continue the various intervention programs on improving support services, reducing input costs, and modernizing infrastructure (e.g. irrigation and shallow tube wells, farm-to-market roads); (5) ensure that the trainings and scholarships for the young labor force are calibrated to the needs of the industries, particularly for sharpening competitiveness in preparation for the rebound; (6) rapidly deploy OFWs in countries where demand is high, and; (7) take advantage of possible further monetary easing consistent with non-inflationary growth for the development of micro, small and medium enterprises.

The unemployment rate improved to 7.5 percent in April 2009 from 8.0 percent in the same period last year. The labor force grew by 3.8 percent, slightly less than the employment growth of 4.3 percent.

"With some additional 1.37 million labor entrants competing for employment, the unemployment level was contained by massive government and private sector initiatives and hiring programs," Recto said.

These programs include the CLEEP; provisions of Executive Order 782 on emergency hiring vis-à-vis the government's Rationalization Plan; multi-sectoral summits and tripartite consultations on saving jobs, livelihoods and flexible working arrangements; and the accelerated frontloading of infrastructure projects under the Economic Resiliency Plan (ERP).  

"It is worth noting that the unemployment rate in April this year was almost as good as the April 2007 unemployment rate of 7.4 percent, the year when the economy had posted 7.1 percent GDP growth," Recto further said adding that this year's rate was also lower than the comparative period in April 2008 notwithstanding the earlier occurrence of massive lay-offs due to the global crisis and the lagged effects of the passage of budget on the ERP.  

In his memorandum to the President, Recto likewise said that employment growth was broad-based as all major industry groups posted gains.

Establishing its being the catch-basin of employment, the services sector led the growth in employment with a 5.8-percent increase over the year ago level or an additional 964,000 in employment. This came from wholesale and retail trade (358,000); private households with employed persons (146,000); public administration and defense, compulsory social security (133,000); real estate, renting and business activities (70,000); other community, social and personal service activities (64,000); hotels and restaurants (53,000); transport, storage and communication (53,000); education (40,000); health and social work (24,000); financial intermediation (23,000);and those working in extra-territorial organizations and bodies (1,000).  

The agriculture, fishery and forestry sector, on the other hand, managed to record a 3.4-percent growth in employment. It contributed about 408,000 net employment as the production of agriculture, forestry and fish products for local final demand and food manufactures continued to enjoy high demand, supported by government's improvements of irrigation systems, its seeds dispersal system and generally declining fertilizer prices. Cheap but healthy products in these times of crisis were especially sought, along with production for the growing halal markets.

Industry managed to squeeze in 1.7 percent growth even as it continued to bear the brunt of the bleak external environment with employment generation of 86,000. The marked 43,000 employment losses in manufacturing were fortunately offset by employment generated in construction (108,000); and the relatively stable employment in mining and quarrying (15,000); and, utilities (7,000).

The total net employment generation reached about 1.46 million compared to the 169,000 net employment losses a year ago. In April this year, total employed persons increased to 34.99 million from 33.54 million in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the proportion of those who were already working but still wanted more work declined to 18.9 percent or approximately 6.622 million employed persons in April 2009, compared to 19.8 percent or 6.625 million in April 2008.

"This was the lowest April survey round underemployment rate since April 2007 when it registered the same rate," Recto said.

Most of the visibly underemployed (working less than 40 hours) were working in the agriculture sector (56.8 percent), followed by services (31.6 percent) and industry (11.6 percent) sectors. The decline in total underemployment mostly came from manufacturing; transport, storage and communications; fishing; education; other community, social and personal service activities; and, financial intermediation sectors.

Moreover, the bulk of the employed continued to come from the more remunerative wage and salaried class of workers (51.9 percent), which grew by 2.5 percent. This, however, was a deceleration from its share in April 2008 (52.9 percent) with a corresponding strong rise among unpaid family workers, which grew by 9.4 percent as many workers helped their own families in farming and fishing; small-time manufacturing; small-time mining and quarrying; hotel and restaurant business; and, health and social work.

Own-account employment, which includes self-employed and employer, grew 5.3 percent, with increases in wholesale, retail trade and repairs; agriculture, hunting and forestry; transport, communications and storage; fishing; real estate; manufacturing; mining and quarrying; health and social work; hotels and restaurants; utilities; and, financial intermediation.

In terms of hours worked, while the level of part-time workers increased by 2.38 million or a 19.9 percent growth, the number of full-time workers, which comprised the bulk of total employment, declined by 4.5 percent to 19.823 million for the said period.  

Recto said that the total mean hours worked declined to 39.8 hours from April 2008's 41.6, reflective of the various efforts of government and private firms to save jobs through flexible work arrangements. He added that this may have implications on the take-home income of workers.

Press release. CHINA LOGISTICS CLUB DEPLOYING ARL'S E-YIELD PORTAL

 

ARL's e-Yield Portal, part of ARL e-Yield Suite consisting of self-service schedule enquiry, online freight quote and booking now deployed on China Logistics Club website.

 

 

HONG KONG, June  15, 2009 – China Logistics Club, recently deployed ARL's e-Yield Portal solution, part of ARL e-Yield Suite, offering self-service transportation inquiries, online freight quotes and bookings for all customers of China Logistics Club members.

 

As a 'powered by arl-shipping.com' solution the e-Yield Portal front-end is embedded into the China Logistics Club own web-site and combines all its members transportation offerings. These include all available points of origin and destination, future voyages, and links to the association members own websites where shippers can get a quote and book online.

By offering self-service transportation services 24 hours a day on their website both China Logistic Club and its members could broaden the customer base without significant investments. It is easy for a new customers as well as forwarding partners to select most suitable offering by providing points of origin and destination and select one which fits shipper's needs and then continue to a website of selected transport provider for instant quote and booking online.

 

"We expect  that the members of the forum and their customers receive the new service well" states Henrik Christensen. "Over time we expect to see most of the forum members using the online platform from arl-shipping.com supporting their business growth, allowing them to focus on developing their core services whereas customer support could be automated to the large extent" he ends.

 

ARL's e-Yield Suite is available in a number of deployment scenarios reflecting the characteristics of the transport provider, ranging from forwarders/ consolidators, NVOCCs, liner agents, short sea and deep sea shipping lines, rail, barge, ro-ro operators and multi-modal transport providers, transport associations, and port communities.

 

On arl-shipping.com, interested transport providers and associations can request an on-line presentation and sign-up for using individual modules in the e-Yield platform. For additional information on ARL's e-Yield Suite, contact Evgeny Drokov or visit arl-shipping.com.

About arl-shipping.com

 

arl-shipping.com Limited, based in Hong Kong , provides innovative and configurable online e-Services to the global transport community. arl-shipping.com e-Services are marketed, developed, hosted and supported by ARL Consulting B.V.

 

 

About China Logistics Club

 

The China Logistics Club (CLC) is a forum for the Small & Medium Enterprise freight forwarders and logistics companies and its aim is to assist its members with forging partnerships and conducting business in China as well as elsewhere. CLC is an independent and private organization managed by a team of veteran industry experts with additional expertise in Human Resources, Finance and International Law as well as contacts to a vast international network.

 

DPWH SPEEDS UP COMPLETION OF AWANG UPI ROAD PROJECT IN MAGUINDANAO

Corn farmers in North Upi, Maguindanao Province are now enjoying the faster and cheaper means of transporting their farm products from their upland farmlands to the market area in Cotabato City as the Department of Public Works and Highways reported the fast track implementation of the Junction-Awang-North Upi Road Project.
North Upi Mayor Ramon A. Piang Sr. said that even the project is not yet complete the accomplishment of the DPWH has contributed a lot in the economic activities on their municipality.
" Since the DPWH has completed some of the concreting works included in the project the travelling time from our municipality going to Cotabato City has reduced for about an hour, and many public utitlity jeepneys have now started to operate in the area" Piang said.
In his report to DPWH Secretary Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. DPWH Region XII Director Sinaolan Macarambon said that the project is already 19.38% complete and is expected to be completed by December this year.
" Considering that this project is included in the Agribusiness Mindanao Super Region Project of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, we have already prepared the crash schedule to immediately complete the project" Macarambon said.
Macarambon added that even though the project is being fast tracked, they are also conducting surprise inspection from time to time to assure quality of work.
" Once completed this P536 Million road project would also open the doors for employment and investment opportunities in the area especially that geographically the municipality of North Upi is considered as the Baguio City of Mindanao because of its cold and conducive environment" Macarambon added.

EBDANE ORDERS SUSPENSION OF 60 DPWH CONTRACTORS

Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes E. Ebdane, Jr directed the immediate implementation of the one-year suspension order for 60 DPWH civil works contactors for violation for the provisions of Republic Act 9184 and the 3-strike policy in procurement of civil works.

Ebdane said that contractors had failed to justify why the DPWH Joint Central Office-Bids and Awards Committee (CO-BAC) recommendation to suspend them from participating in the projects should not be implemented.

In a press conference, Secretary Ebdane specified that 60 of the 216 contractors who had been found to have violated SEC. 69.19 of the IRR of Republic Act 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act) and Department Order No. 35, Series of 2008 were being given suspension orders effective immediately.

After following due process with each contractor being given the opportunity to show cause why they should not be suspended for their violations, the joint CO-BAC recommended that 60 contractors be suspended for a period of 1 year starting from date of issuance of the Department Order mandating the suspension of the said contractors.

"We have given all concerned enough time and followed due process as required by law. After careful deliberation of the CO-BAC, 60 contractors were recommended for suspension and I have approved their recommendation effective immediately", Ebdane said. "We are duty-bound to fulfill the spirit and intent of RA 9184 as contained in the Implementing Rules and Regulations that were crafted to ensure full compliance".

In two resolutions signed by the CO-BAC members, the main reasons for the suspension included failure to respond to the DPWH Secretary's letter requiring them to show cause, and the unacceptable reasons provided to justify their violations. Only 168 responded to the DPWH letter to show cause.

The contractors covered by the suspension order are A.C. Rivero Development Corporation, ADP Construction and Supply, AFG Construction and Supply, Allencon Development Corporation. Annasor Construction and Trading, BMK Construction, Big Bertha Construction and Development, CBN Construction and Supply, Chiara Construction, Cofe Jok Construction and Supply, Davao Concrete Products, E.M.I. Construction and Trading, F. Gurrea Construction, Good Fortune International, Inc, Henry S. Oaminal Construction and General Merchandise, HI-TRI Development Corporation, IBC International Builders Corporation, J. Cordon Construction and Supply, J. Lee Construction, J. M. Morales Construction and Supply, J.S. Layson & Co, Inc, Jhall Marketing & Services, JH) Construction, LMG Construction, LSD Construction and Supply, Muana Development Corporation, Palmares General Merchandise, Patrila Builders, Performance Builders and Developers Corporation, R.B. Uriarte Costruction,
R.G. Erillo Construction Inc., Roprim Construction, Shak Construction, Shen Construction, Topmost Development Marketing Corporation, TSD Builders Construction and Supply, Waterton Construction and Realty Development Corporation, Werr Corporation International, Welex Construction, A.D. Construction, ACES Trafcon Exponents, Inc, ALRAF Construction and Enterprises, ARN Builders, B.E. Construction, CVAP Construction, ECDA Construction, Gampik Construction and Development, Inc, IHZA Construction, J&S Cuadra Construction and Supply, JECEL    Construction and Supply, JLA Construction and Supplies, KIRSKAT Venture, MBD General Construction, NFH Construction and Supply, NVF Construction, Rockworld Industries, Unayan Builders Construction and Supply, Villa Veronica Construction, and VNKC Construction. 

Q&A on the global jobs crisis

ILO Summit on the Global Jobs Crisis

GENEVA (ILO News) - Nine Heads of State and Government, six Vice-presidents,
labour ministers and leaders from employers and workers organizations are to
meet in Geneva from June 15-17 for a Global Jobs Crisis Summit organized by the
International Labour Organization (ILO).

The ILO summit will provide a first-of-its-kind opportunity to discuss policies
that are being implemented at the national and international level to address
the global jobs crisis.

Among the keynote speakers, nine Heads of State and Governments will address
the ILO summit:

H.E. Mr. Lech Kaczy*ski, President of the Republic of Poland
H.E. Ms Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland
H.E. Mr. Armando Guebuza, President of the Republic of Mozambique
H.E. Mr. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of
Brazil
H.E. Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic
H.E. Ms Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of the Argentine Republic
H.E. Mr. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Togolese Republic
H.E. Mr. Tertius Zongo, Prime Minister of Burkina Faso

The Honourable Mr. Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica

The three-day ILO summit, which is part of ILOs International Labour
Conference, will include four high-level panels on the following topics: global
and regional coordination, development cooperation, managing the national jobs
agenda and rights at work, social dialogue and enterprise survival.

For more information on the ILO Summit on the Global Jobs Crisis, please visit
www.ilo.org.  The International Labour Conference is the world's largest
gathering of governments, employers and workers. It meets every June in Geneva
bringing together approximately 4,000 delegates from ILOs 183 member States.
Each country is represented by a tripartite delegation consisting of government,
employer and worker representatives.

The Conference, which is often called an international parliament of the world
of work, has several main tasks which include the crafting and adoption of
international labour standards and their follow-up and application at the
national level. The conference is also a forum where social and labour questions
of importance to the entire world are discussed.

-----------------------------------

Questions and answers on the global jobs crisis

More than 4,000 delegates representing governments, employers and workers are
meeting at the annual Conference of the ILO from 3 to 19 June to discuss ways of
addressing the global crisis in jobs and social protection. ILO Online asked
Raymond Torres, Director of the ILO International Institute for Labour Studies
about the current jobs situation, and how decent work policies can tackle the
crisis.

ILO Online: What is the labour market situation today?

Raymond Torres: Since the onset of the financial crisis, the labour market
situation in most countries has deteriorated dramatically with millions of
workers losing their job over the past 18 months and the outlook continues to
deteriorate. In fact, the overall impact of the crisis is still unfolding and
the ILO expects unemployment to rise further this year. At the same time,
businesses are under stress and the number of bankruptcies is growing.
Vulnerable employment is also increasing, and more people are being pushed into
poverty. What is also of concern is that the shortage of new employment
opportunities is worsening: in 2009, global employment is expected to rise by
between 0 and 1 per cent only. Some regions - including the most developed
countries - are even expected to show a contraction in employment this year. And
in the midst of all this, we will still need to create at least 300 million jobs
globally over the next five years just to maintain a pre-crisis level of
unemployment.

ILO Online: In some quarters, there is a perception that we may be seeing the
first signs of economic recovery. Do you think the worst is over?

Raymond Torres: There may be some signs of recovery - the so-called *green
shoots* - which are welcome developments. But the strength and timing of a
recovery are subject to uncertainty. It is also important to make a clear
distinction between economic recovery and labour market recovery. Judging from
previous crises, we know that employment returned to pre-crisis levels only four
to five years after economic recovery, on average. Long-term unemployment which
takes hold is also very difficult to reverse and wages of workers take time to
return to previous levels. Taken together, all these elements point to a
persistent global jobs crisis for the next few years - unless concerted action
is taken to create new jobs and save existing employment.

ILO Online: What about social protection?

Raymond Torres: As unemployment grows, millions of additional workers are
losing social protection. This problem is particularly acute in developing
countries where social protection is often minimal, but even in emerging
economies and a number of developed countries, coverage is limited in several
areas. According to the ILO's Social Protection Database, the number of people
receiving unemployment benefits increased on average by 53 per cent between May
2008 and February 2009 for a sample of 19 emerging and industrialized countries.
In the OECD countries, including the US, private pension funds lost, on average,
more than 20 per cent of their value in 2008. For four-fifths of the rest of the
world, however, this isn't an issue, as they have no social security or
unemployment benefits at all.

ILO Online: But rescue packages have been introduced in a number of countries;
aren't these measures working?

Raymond Torres: Most developed country governments have put in place a
two-pronged approach to promote economic and employment recovery: targeting
aggregate demand through fiscal stimulus and low interest rates, and targeting
the financial sector to repair balance sheets and restore credit flows. As of
April 2009, 32 countries had announced fiscal stimulus measures (out of a sample
of 40 countries reviewed by ILO). Approximately USD 2 trillion has been
committed globally - with close to 90 per cent from G20 nations. Planned
spending in 2009 accounts for approximately 1.4 per cent of global GDP - notably
less than the 2 per cent global stimulus recommended by the IMF. But the
economic outlook for 2009 and 2010 has deteriorated significantly since these
measures were designed and implemented Furthermore, employment and social
policies represent only 10 to 15% of the total stimulus packages. While it is
commendable that countries have announced and implemented stimulus efforts,
there needs to be additional focus on employment and social measures in order to
address the human dimensions of the crisis and mitigate the adverse impact on
people and families.

ILO Online: How will all this affect individuals and societies?

Raymond Torres: We have already seen signs of social unrest stemming from
economic malaise because of the crisis. The consequences for personal and family
well-being, the welfare of societies, the stability of nations, and the
credibility of national and multilateral governance are incalculable. Not enough
attention has been paid to this human reality in policy-making. We must approach
the crisis with a basic sense of solidarity within and among countries, and pay
adequate attention to the human dimension, as the G20 in London has called for.

ILO Online: What are the ILO proposals to be examined at the International
Labour Conference?

Raymond Torres: Right now we need to focus on two key objectives: employment
creation and social protection. These two elements need to be at the heart of
recovery efforts. These are the basic elements of the Global Jobs Pact which the
Director-General of the ILO is proposing for discussion at the annual
Conference. As the Director-General said in his opening address (3 June) to the
Conference, a global jobs pact would imply a commitment by the ILO tripartite
constituency to make employment and social protection a central element of all
economic and social policies. It implies tackling the crisis with a productive
vision of promoting investment and enterprises, social protection and job
creation and an agreement on common policy approaches, eventually leading to
national and international programmes.

ILO Online: So what*s next?

Raymond Torres: We are at a defining moment. The Conference will discuss these
issues - a Jobs Summit on 15-17 June will bring the voices of heads of state and
government, vice presidents, ministers of labour, worker and employer leaders
and other top economic and labour experts into the equation. And when all is
said and done, as the Director-General has made clear, much will depend on the
success of overall economic and social policies and stimulus packages adopted by
countries and a functioning financial sector. Our immediate task is to fashion a
strong tripartite agreement on a Decent Work Response. We believe that putting
people first has to be the priority.

Chiz urges government to solve killings of lawyers, judges

 

 

Opposition Senator Chiz Escudero yesterday called on the government to act on a report of an international watchdog accusing it of failing to solve killings of lawyers and judges in the country.

 

"We cannot allow this atmosphere of impunity to continue. Talk and task forces have not led to the resolution of most of these unsolved killings," Escudero, chair of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, said.

 

The report by the Hague-based Lawyers for Lawyers laments the absence of "any sense of urgency" by the Arroyo administration in seeing that "justice is done and the lives and independence of the lawyers and judges involved are protected."

 

 "The administration of justice is undermined when judges and lawyers are killed in the exercise of their profession," he said.

 

The 39-year old lawyer-senator also condemned the reported inclusion of four human rights lawyers in the military's "order of battle" in Mindanao.

 

According to news reports, the purported order of battle was released through a power point presentation prepared by the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army in southern Mindanao.

 

"The leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines should explain if these reports are true. If they are, then they should explain why they are in the list. If they have violated any of our laws, then the proper charges should be filed against them," Escudero said.

 

"To include them in an order of battle is tantamount to putting them on a virtual hit list," he said.

 

The power point presentation is allegedly entitled "3rd Quarter 2007 OB Validation Result," and was allegedly prepared by the JCICC "Agila" under the office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence of the 10 Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.

 

Included in the order of battle are lawyers Angela Librado-Trinidad, Carlos Zarate, Labor Arbiter Beverly Selim-Musni and Lilibeth Ladag, reportedly founding members of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL) and the Union of Peoples Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM).