Lawmakers on Wednesday pushed for legislation that would ensure Filipino contractors and workers would be given priority in private and government construction projects, especially during the economic slump due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At least three bills have been filed at the House of Representatives seeking to amend Republic Act 4566, or the Contractors’ Licensing Law, in a bid to protect the interest and welfare of Filipino contractors and workers in the construction industry.
Davao Oriental Rep. Mayo Almario, author of House Bill 7816, underscored the need for legislation that would impose stricter requirements on foreign participation in construction activities in the Philippines.
HB 7816 provides that no foreign contractor would be given a license to operate in the country unless the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board certifies that no local contractor could do the project applied for.
“To fully protect the interests of the Philippines and her people, the Filipino contractor must be given priority in local construction activities to develop his own native land, and only if he cannot do it will a foreign contractor be allowed,” Almario said.
CWS Party-list Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. filed a similar bill proposing to strengthen the safeguards for domestic micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs in the construction industry.
Momo’s HB 7893 aims to “put Filipino first by ensuring that with the entry of foreign contractors, Filipino industry, labor and materials are given preference, instead of allowing foreign workers and suppliers to earn the lion’s share of local projects.”
ACT-CIS Party-list Reps. Jocelyn Tulfo, Eric Yap and Niña Taduran, authors of HB 7918, said Filipinos must be given preference in the country’s “fastest growing sector and among the biggest contributors of jobs.”
According to the party-list lawmakers, the proposed measure would ensure that local construction companies were “uniquely positioned to be at the forefront of the economic recovery” from the onslaught of COVID-19.