If you have any doubts that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is serious in attaining economic growth for the country, you may just put that doubt to rest. And with good reason.
At the first-ever 2024 National Employment Summit in Manila, President Marcos touted the creation of three million new jobs by 2028, which is the fundamental objective of Trabaho Para sa Bayan, a 10-year roadmap on job creation crafted by the government.
The Chief Executive said at the National Employment Summit organized by the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry and National Economic Development Authority that this objective is achievable.
He said his government is working double time to address job-skills mismatch, underemployment, and unemployment through the reforms in the basic education curriculum, the embedding of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Senior High School curriculum, and the implementation of employment facilitation initiatives.
The Marcos administration is collaborating with all stakeholders, including the public and private sectors, in a whole-of-nation approach to creating three million quality jobs by 2028.
“In line with our priorities, the outcomes that we desire, and strategies stated in the Philippine Development Plan, the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan, the Strategic Investment Priority Plan, and the Workforce Development Plan, the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) Plan will be one of the driving forces to help create at least three million new jobs by the year 2028,” Marcos said.
The TPB is a 10-year roadmap that will serve as the national guide towards more significant employment generation and recovery.
“Beyond generating employment, we want to create quality jobs, with special emphasis on ensuring workers’ welfare, empowerment, competitiveness, and security in all sectors of our labor sector.”
The President said the summit is the perfect time for key players—from workers to employers, government, other partners, and private sector partners—to harness the spirit of Bayanihan as the country meets the emerging needs in the local, national, regional, and international labor markets.
“We have exciting times that lie ahead. We look forward to the new jobs, sectors, and opportunities waiting for us and the Philippines,” he said.
The employment roadmap may look ambitious and hard to implement at first glance, but considering the significant strides the administration has already achieved in the field of business and the economy, the nation may well be on the road to building an inclusive, resilient and investment-led economy.
Among the many reforms undertaken by the Marcos administration is the new Public-Private Partnership Code which updates the 29-year-old Build Operate Transfer Law. This new law revitalizes the PPPs and encourages unsolicited joint ventures as a PPP model for the delivery of high-quality and cost-effective infrastructure projects.
There is also the massive P9-trillion, 185-project Build Better More program.
Even the establishment of green lanes for strategic investments, which expedite, streamline and automate government registration processes, including permits for the construction of telecom and information technology infrastructure, will help a lot in generating jobs.
Marcos urged the stakeholders to execute a TPB Plan to reach the workers’ fullest potential as active participants in nation-building.
“So let us lay the groundwork to ensure that the next decade will be meaningful employment and economic growth,” he said.