President Rodrigo Duterte’s $180 billion infrastructure
program is currently facing a dilemma: A lot of people are needed to build all
the roads, bridges, railways and airports; however, most of them are working
abroad.
It is known, that for decades, the Philippines has relied on
money sent home by Filipinos who worked as nannies, maids, mariners, nurses and
construction workers abroad.
These workers can sometimes earn salaries of more than four
times higher in other country.
With President Duterte’s plan to supercharge the transportation
network- which was ranked worse than of Sri Lanka and Vietnam by the World
Economic Forum, the lack of labor to do the work is now the roadblock. Will this lead the OFWs back home?
“The labor shortage is an issue that’s hounding the
construction industry,’’ said Jan Paul Custodio, senior director at property
consultant Santos Knight Frank in Manila.
“There’s definitely a need for further skills training, now
more than ever. There needs to be a boost to any repatriation program.’’ He said.
Nowadays, most of the private companies are upgrading skills of their own workers by setting up their own training facilities.
Nowadays, most of the private companies are upgrading skills of their own workers by setting up their own training facilities.
Though the economy has expanded 6.7 percent last year, the
World Bank, on the other hand, said that higher investment is critical to
sustain that pace of expansion.
Under President Duterte’s program Build, Build, Build, the
plan is to boost the infrastructure which means spending up to 7.3 percent of
gross domestic product by 2022 from 6.3 percent this year.
The first to be constructed is a new terminal at Clark
International Airport – the former US airbase north of Manila. With this, its
capacity would be triple to 12 million passengers per year.
There is also the subway and a 102 kilometer or 63 mile
railway in Mindanao on the way.
To sustain it, the government implemented a new tax law in December 2017, to add more more than 180 billion pesos to financing the upcoming infrastructures. Meanwhile, the biggest chunk of the expenses will be from Japan and China through loan grants.
The foreseen and is a bigger challenge will be the qualified
engineers, and staff to operate the cranes, earth movers and heavy equipment.
With the lack of skilled labor, the government must make the 10 million overseas workers come home and work for their own.
However, to be able to do that, the price must really be right.
However, to be able to do that, the price must really be right.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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