Palace eyes 3 million jobs

The government is ready to provide as many as three million jobs for the year as Malacañang raised to P330 billion the proposed multi-billion peso economic stimulus package to cushion the impact of the global economic crisis.

Secretary Domingo Panganiban, lead convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, said the jobs will be created under the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program component of the economic sustainability plan.

Panganiban said the three million will be a “best-effort” and based on a projection that at least one million will be needed by June 30. “We might be going beyond one million by June 30,” he said.

He said the government is allotting P1 billion for every one million jobs.

The economic stimulus plan, originally at P300 billion, is provided under the proposed P1.415 trillion national budget for 2009 which Congress has yet to approve.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto earlier said part of the proposed economic stimulus package will be used to hire more teachers and policemen, finance infrastructure spending and rehabilitate the state healthcare system. He said the government also plans to increase the number of poor families receiving direct cash assistance.

President Macapagal-Arroyo called the program an “Economic Resiliency Plan” to pump-prime the economy. “The plan aims to upgrade infrastructure, expand social protection and ensure sustainable growth in the midst of the global economic crisis,” she said.

Recto said the focus is on the repair and rehabilitation of roads, hospitals, bridges and irrigation facilities, schools and other government buildings.

Panganiban said “so much number of people” also want to be interviewed for jobs in the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation and Communication and Department of Education. He said there are also jobs in janitorial and utility services. “So we might go beyond the one million,” he said. By: Tess Bedico - Journal online

1-M trabaho para sa mahihirap

MILYUN-MILYONG mga unskilled workers, magsasaka at mga walang trabaho ang mabibiyayaan ng bagong trabaho at mas mabuting kabuhayan dahil sa karagdagan pang employment generation program sa taong na nilalayong maibsan ang kahirapan at gutom sa mga maralita, ayon sa National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).

Ayon kay NAPC Secretary Domingo F. Panganiban, nilalayon ng Arroyo government na magkaloob ng mahigit 860,000 mga bagong trabaho para sa mga mahihirap sa pamamagitan ng microfinance services, skills training at coconut intercropping programs may may 50 lalawigan at National Capital Region (NCR).

“We will concentrate the bulk of our jobs and livelihood generation programs in areas that have the highest levels of hunger and poverty,” ayon kay Panganiban.

Nabatid sa National Nutrition Council (NNC), inaasahang aabot sa 430,000 ang mabibigyan ng trabaho bago matapos ang 2008 mula sa microfinance at Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran (SEA-K) program nito.

“In addition, we will afford some 332,505 underprivileged folk better livelihood opportunities through the skills and vocational training programs of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and various other community-based training programs,” ayon sa kanya.

Mabibigay aniya ang pamahalaan ng karagdagang kabuhayan at pagkakakitaan sa 67,023 sa magsasaka ng niyog sa pamamagitan ng coconut intercropping program ng Department of Agriculture (DA) habang may 37,583 manggagawa ang kukunin para sa public irrigation at roadside maintenance projects.

Nabatid na prayoridad sa anti-hunger program ng pamahalaan ang Apayao, Mountain Province , Kalinga, Masbate, Camarines Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, Lanao del Norte, Sarangani, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Maguindanao, Surigao del Sur, Tawi-tawi, Northern Samar at NCR. JOurnal online

Grads must fit job mart – GMA

By: Jeffrey C. Tiangco - People's Journal

SCHOOLS should see to it that the courses they offer fit the demands of the market to ensure that their graduates enjoy a competitive edge in the quest for jobs here and abroad.

Thus said President Macapagal-Arroyo in her keynote address during the opening of the two-day First Biennial Education Congress last January 31 to February 1 at the Manila Hotel.

“We ask colleges and universities to update themselves about the current demands in the local and international market, and to offer courses fitting their graduates to the skills requirements of available jobs,” the President stressed.

Earlier, Malacañang, initiated the holding of the education congress to draw up plans and undertake immediate steps to cure the ills of the Philippine educational system.

During the summit, the President said there should be “no more customs administration, a little bit less of business management, more of entrepreneurship” in course offerings.

She also asked colleges and universities established by local governments units to “comply with the standards of the Commission on Higher Education.”

In her address before the FBEC, the President also instructed the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) to “update its licensure examinations to reflect current technical and scientific requirements of business and industry.”