SENATOR Leila de Lima has urged the government to arrest the rising unemployment and underemployment rates in the country, especially among the youth and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) displaced in conflict-stricken areas.
In filing Senate Resolution No. 402, de Lima wanted the Senate labor committee to look into the rising unemployment and prepare measures or programs to mitigate its impact to the country’s economy.
She also asked the Senate labor committee to assess the potential adverse effects of House Bill No. 5636, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act, not only to the middle- and low-income workers but also to the unemployed.
“There is a very urgent need for the government to anticipate and address the economic impact of rising unemployment, especially in light of President Duterte’s act of certifying as urgent the passage of House Bill No. 5636,” she said.
She explained that the proposed tax reform measure is “poised to become extremely burdensome” to middle- and low-income earners, as well as the unemployed and underemployed individuals.
These unemployed and underemployed persons will not benefit from the lowered income tax rates but will only suffer the hike in the prices of basic goods precipitated by the proposed higher excise tax rates on fuel, she pointed out.
Official figures showed that unemployment rate rose from 38.4 to 39.2 million from 2015 to 2016, respectively, while underemployment rate increased by 87,000 to 7.7 million in January 2016. (pr)
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