Unemployment a 'loss of dignity', says group

Unemployment a 'loss of dignity', says group
Reiterates call for state support for the unemployed

NEWS RELEASE
23 April 2010

Unemployment is not merely the loss of one's capacity to sustain his needs -- it is also a loss of one's dignity, says the urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay).

To symbolize this, and to draw urgency from the nation's impending new leadership upon one of the most pressing problems of the poor, several members of the group marched stripped to the waist upon the office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Intramuros, Manila.

The group reiterated its call for "direct government support" for the millions of unemployed and underemployed in the country, in the form of unemployment benefits and the setting-up of 'unemployment offices' throughout the country.

“While we understand that DOLE soon stands to have a change of leadership, as is expected with new presidents, its top policymakers must nevertheless consider these proposals now and prepare to present these to the new people in charge,” said Carlito Badion, Kadamay vice chair.

"We are also extending this message to the presidentiables. We need them to weigh in on these proposals now, see if they can commit to implementing them once they're elected."

There are 2.8 million unemployed persons in the country, according to the January 2010 Labor Force Survey of the National Statistics Office (NSO), with another 7.1 million underemployed (seeking more work). The IBON foundation, however, applying the pre-2005 definition of unemployment to government statistics, reports that as much as 4.1 million are unemployed.

“The root of poverty is unemployment. And as it is the government's responsibility to secure decent and sustainable employment for its citizens, so should it be its responsibility to support the unemployed or those that do not earn enough to sustain their families,” Badion said.

Unemployment benefits involve some amount of cash assistance from the government for an unemployed individual to fulfill his or her family's needs, to which the group also wishes to include the larger ranks of the underemployed. As an initial measure, the group suggests that the government use its own 'poverty threshold' in determining how much a family needs, which stands at P10,000 a month in the NCR.

Further, the group proposes that 'unemployment offices' be set up around the country, with the duty of registering all unemployed and underemployed persons in the area and actively finding work for them.

These two mechanisms, the group points out, will have a net result of more pressure on government to generate jobs. "If government does not want to lose vast amounts of money supporting the unemployed, then it has to bear the burden of making sure that they no longer stay that way," Badion said.##

Reference: Carlito Badion, Vice Chair, Kadamay | 0939.387.3736
For further details, please contact Jon Vincent Marin, Kadamay  PIO | 0910.975.7660