ROBERTO Cuarteros, 40, unemployed for three years now, wants aspirants for the country’s top government job to meet at least one important requirement: he or she must be able to create jobs.

“I am very much affected by the way our economy is doing today. Whoever wins in the next year’s presidential election, the first priority should be providing more jobs in the country,” he said.

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Cuarteros was one of over 2,000 unemployed Cebuanos who flooded the 50th Cebu City Local Jobs Fair last week at the Cebu City Sports Complex.

According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), 19.8 percent of about 92 million Filipinos (as of July 2009) are unemployed. That’s about 18.26 million individuals unable to add to their families’ income.

The increase in the country’s unemployment rate was attributed to weak demand for new labor and companies firing their workers due to an international economic slowdown. Even in the United States, where signs of an end to the recession have sparked hopes about the economy, the unemployment rate surpassed 10 percent for the first time in 26 years.

In random interviews with Sun.Star Cebu, job seekers said the leader who makes finding a job easier for them is the one who deserves to win on May 10, 2010.

“Lisod kayo mangita og trabaho karon. (It is very hard to find a job these days.) The government should make finding a job a whole lot easier para pod di na mi mogawas (so that we will not work abroad anymore) and leave our families behind,” said Marvin Miola, 22. He has recently been laid off from his job.

Ma. Sadrina Cuizon, 23, said the government should offer jobs, particularly to those who have recently graduated from college.

“If there will be jobs for everybody, all Filipinos would be happy,” she said.

The Cebu City Government, through the Department of Manpower Development and Placement, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., radio stations DyAB and DyLS 95, and the Department of Labor and Employment organized the jobs fair.

The websites of four probable presidential candidates make passing references to creating jobs, but few specifics, at least as of yesterday.

Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III is the author of a bill that seeks to increase penalties on companies that fail to provide the mandated increase in workers’ wages. In his website, he says a “true working democracy makes possible not only political freedoms but a better life for all Filipinos. It must be able to provide jobs, education, social services and equitable economic prosperity for everyone, not just the rich, privileged few.”

Former president Joseph Estrada, in his website, calls for “greater public support for initiatives that can uplift the lives of millions of Filipinos living in sub-human conditions.”

The Lakas-Kampi presidential candidate, outgoing Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro, mentions the need for “more innovative ideas to fuel industry and the economy” in his website. He also said all means must be exhausted to provide every Filipino with a proper college education, including a student loan program administered by the Social Security System.

According to his website, Nacionalista Party presidential aspirant Sen. Manuel Villar “actively sponsors” the Sipag at Tiyaga Caravan Kaalaman, a livelihood training activity that hopes to inspire people to start their own business.