Unemployment record and finally the verdict

By EJ LOPEZ

SWS reports that adult unemployment in the Philippines had reached a record-high of 34.4 percent—or 13.8 million Filipinos—in the first quarter of 2012. SWS said that the results were 10 points higher than the December 2011 unemployment rate which registered at 24 percent, or 10.7 million adult Filipinos. It also surpassed the February 2009 record of 34.2 percent. This level of unemployment has never been this high since more than a decade ago and should be promptly be addressed by the government lest it redound to more serious problem. The unemployment statistics have a multiplier effect on the economy by way of the number of dependents that rely on the worker for survival. Therefore if there are two people that rely on the worker for survival that sums up to more or less 40 million people who are potential statistics of hungry people.

Conservatively, this is around 40 percent of the total population. There are no studies that unemployment is directly related to the crime rate, but when a person is pushed to the limit of poverty, he may resort to a life of criminality for survival. Unemployment therefore brings to its fore a confluence of several factors like poverty, hunger, undernourishment, criminality and other such misfortunes.

The problem of local unemployment complements the problem of investment. Foreign investment seems to be still underperforming despite the call for private-public partnership. The program although has taken-off, has not performed as expected. This is possibly because of the supposed economic indicators that have not shown respectable performance like our GNP, GDP, inflation and investment. Added to these is the not so consistent performance of the local bourse market. The performance of the shares market is the readily available indicator for investors to determine the viability of the economy he wants to invest on.

Added to these woes is the current inflation rate of 4 percent that has placed the economy in a bind. Despite the high unemployment rate, prices of commodities increased by an average equivalent to the inflation rate. This is a scenario where more than 13 million people have no means of livelihood and yet experiencing increasing prices despite the lack of purchasing power. This aggravates the problem of poverty and the hunger incidence in the country. If we are to make this country be truly a pride of its people, then it should try to make their citizens take the priority of government’s thrust of economic development by way of creating employment for its people.

All over but the shouting

This column believes that the appearance of the CJ has done nothing to erase the doubts of the impeachment court regarding his innocence of the charges hurled against him. The line of questioning (except for some) of the senator judges is leading him to responses that will lead to his conviction. Although the CJ has shown his sincerity and honesty in his responses, it is far-fetched to think that it will lead to his acquittal for the simple reason that impeachment is political in nature and a numbers game.

The CJ’s appearance if we are to gauge its ramifications is more of clarificatory in nature. The believers tend to strengthen their beliefs of the CJ’s innocence of the charges while the “doubting Thomas” may have created a certain impression of whether the CJ was honest and truthful in his intention or not. Those who have prejudged the case even prior to its conclusion may or may not have created certain doubts in their minds of the nature of the CJ’s personality. Their doubts of the CJ’s intention may have been created because they may be guilty or more of the same offenses they are charging the CJ.

Are there safety nets for K to 12?

The K to 12 implementation is already a foregone conclusion and is here to stay. There is no doubt in one’s mind that it will uplift the quality of education and make our graduates globally competitive (although it has already been). All systems are in place and it serves to provide better curricula from elementary up to the tertiary level. But how do we provide livelihood for those teachers, faculty members who will be displaced by the gap it will create in the four years of its full implementation? For sure some would argue that this is the bitter pill that we have to swallow for the betterment of our system. But the system will create an economic disease called unemployment and worse hunger. And this is “bitterer” than the bitter pill. Will the host school/ university shoulder the salary of those who will be displaced as a result of the changes? Are they willing to shoulder the salary of those without teaching load? This should be straightforward address by the concern authority because the dependents of these people who will be displaced by the new system can not postpone their hunger and needs. The time to address the forthcoming dilemma is now and not when it’s already there right in front of us…

(For comments email doc.ejlopez @gmail.com with cc to: opinion@ manilatimes.net).