spot_img
29 C
Philippines
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Supercharge regional growth–solon

- Advertisement -

A legislator from the Bicol region on Friday urged his fellow legislators to support a bill designed “to supercharge” growth and create a lot of livelihood opportunities outside Metro Manila amid the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte was referring to President Duterte’s Balik Probinsya Bagong Pagasa initiative contained in House Bill (HB) 6970 he filed at the House of Representatives.

Villafuerte, principal author of the bill, said the measure will not only lead to urban decongestion but will also give the badly-needed boost to economies in the regions outside the metropolis.

“The BP2 measure is a long-term solution to revitalize the economies in the provinces  and create jobs for the ever growing Filipino workforce, including our dislocated migrant workers  who have returned home and remain unemployed because of the pandemic,” Villafuerte, a former governor, said.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the number of unemployed Filipinos stood at 4.14 million in April, bringing the unemployment rate to 8.7 percent, which is  higher than the 3.44 million jobless Filipinos and  the 7.1 percent unemployment rate reported in March.

- Advertisement -

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), meanwhile, said that based on its latest Job Displacement Monitoring Report, a total of 1,148,996 workers have been displaced from January 1 to May 30, 2021.

DOLE also reported that more than 564,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been repatriated  since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.

A Social Weather Stations survey showed joblessness fell slightly among the 18-to-34-year-olds, from 57.2 percent in November 2020 to 55.5 percent in May 2021. It rose slightly among the 35-to-44-year-olds buth hardly changed among those 45 years old and above.

Villafuerte explained that the BP2 will provide for, among others, a menu of tax breaks and other incentives to entice corporations to relocate to, or expand their businesses in, areas outside the Greater Manila area.

“The previous  high Covid-10 caseloads in Metro Manila and the current spike in other urban hubs outside the national capital reflect the dark side of urban congestion. Fast-tracking the implementation of BP2 will help decongest highly populated urban centers,” Villafuerte said.

Last year, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry  gave its full backing to  Villafuerte’s House Bill  No. 6970 on the BP2 initiative.

- Advertisement -

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles