Majority of laid off workers based in Metro — DOLE

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday that a majority of those who lost their jobs in the first 10 months of the year worked in Metro Manila.

The DOLE’s Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) revealed that 52.9 percent or 29,931 of the total 56,531 permanently displaced workers came from the National Capital Region (NCR).

Apart from Metro Manila, other regions which reported a fairly large number of layoffs were Region III with 6,742; Region IV with 8,534; Region VII with 3,048; Region XI with 2,179, and Caraga with 2,313.

Around 111,080 have been affected nationwide after several companies implemented retrenchment and closures either permanently or temporarily, the BLES report said.

About 54,549 of these were in distress following the filing of some 526 establishments of temporary closures, reduction of workforce, job rotations and reduced working hours.

Records obtained earlier said that workers in the manufacturing sector comprised 58.9 percent of the total number of workers laid off from January to October.

Other sectors that implemented retrenchment were transportation, storage, communications, wholesale and retail trade, real estate, and renting and business activities.

The BLES report further noted that the number of commercial firms that implemented closures and retrenchment is higher compared to last year’s, with 2,294 firms filing notices in 2001 compared to 1,927 establishments in 2000.

Companies that opted to shut down were also higher by 13 percent to 469 in 2001 compared to 409 in the year-ago figure, while those that reduced their workforce increased by 20 percent to 1,850 from 1,536 last year.

But Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas explained that the total number of workers affected this year compared to last year’s was actually lower by 10 percent.

She said this was because firms implementing the closures and downsizing were companies employing less than 20 persons or those falling under the small and medium scale enterprise category.

Sto. Tomas also said they were doing everything they can to address the employment situation and help the distressed workers.

"We are extending assistance in the form of retraining and re-tooling. We are also giving out loans and helping others find another job," she noted.

Meanwhile, around 10,000 employees of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport will be dislocated if the contract between the Philippine International Air Terminal Corp. (PIATCO) and the Arroyo administration will not be submitted for public bidding and reviewed, an airline union said yesterday

The Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) mobilization committee chairman Ed Oredina said the figure included 7,000 PAL ground and air personnel.

Oredina said they fought long and hard to save the flag-carrier from extinction and would not allow this to go to waste because of the PIATCO contract.

"Once NAIA III is completed by PIATCO and becomes operational, the contract will allow PIATCO to control the Philippine aviation industry and terminate all existing concessionaires and 10,000 employees at NAIA," he contended.

Oredina appealed to congressmen heading various House committees –namely Reps. Roy Lopez (good government), Roselier Barinaga (labor), Jing Paras (transportation and communications) and Raffy Nantes (Commission on Appointments) –to look into the issue.

He also claimed the PIATCO contract incorporated a drastic 100 percent increase in the terminal fee.

The PALEA official likewise accused Transportation Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez of secretly entering into a deceptive air agreement with South Korea.

He said the agreement sounded good on paper, with both countries allowing to enter each other’s air space for a specified number of trips.