'PNoy can't blame Yolanda for high unemployment rate'

MANILA, Philippines - Militant group Bayan on Tuesday said the Aquino administration cannot simply attribute the rising unemployment rate to the effects of the supertyphoon Yolanda, saying it has been a "chronic problem" of the country.

In a statement, Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said the problem of unemployment has been plaguing the country even before Yolanda devastated Eastern Visayas November last year.

"Unemployment has been a chronic problem, existing even before the storm ravaged the country, and persisting because of the policies of the Aquino regime," Reyes said.

He added that the recent unemployment survey which showed that more than 12 million people are jobless debunks the claim of President Benigno Aquino III of inclusive growth.

"Aquino’s much proclaimed economic growth is shallow and benefits only a few, while excluding the vast majority of Filipinos who are workers and peasants. Despite a projected 7.4 percent GDP (growth domestic product) growth for 2013, actual employment is estimated to increase by just 0.8 percent from the previous year," Reyes.

Reyes also cited the the Labor Force Survey of the National Statistics Office which shows that job generation has been falling over the past three years under the Aquino administration with the 1.2 million jobs generated in 2011, going down to 408,000 in 2012 and falling further to the 317,000 in 2013.

"The so-called GDP growth has been concentrated in just a few areas of the economy, particularly real estate and construction, and has not contributed significantly to economic development and job creation. These areas of growth account for only 8 percent of total employment, according to the government’s own statistics. Sectors such as agriculture and fisheries have consistently lagged behind," Reyes added.

He also blamed the inequality in the country wherein the rich families get even richer.

"The cumulative wealth of the 40 richest Filipinos have grown almost four-fold according to Ibon Foundation, from $16.4 billion in 2009 to $64.2 billion in 2013," Reyes said.

"Chronic joblessness persists because the Aquino regime has no real program for land reform and national industrialization. It relies heavily on foreign investments and external factors rather than developing internal growth engines. The regime has also intensified its labor-export policy as a way to assuage the worsening jobs crisis," he said.