Saturday, March 10, 2007 Target: More jobs to curb diaspora By Jeanette P. Malinao Sun.Star Staff Reporter
LEADING a country thankful for overseas workers’ remittances and that carried out training programs to send “super maids” abroad, President Arroyo yesterday went beyond her usual speech on the improved economy to speak of another dream.
“We hope for the day when enough good jobs are created in the Philippines so that hardworking Filipinos don’t have to go abroad for their work,” Arroyo said before 300 participants of the Philippine Development Forum.
“We see a day when going abroad for a job is a career choice, and not the only option for work,” added Arroyo.
That statement deviated from her pronouncements last year when she received flak for announcing in a roundtable discussion on jobs and livelihood that the Philippines will be training “super maids.”
Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) continue to give a significant boost to the Philippine economy. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Amando M. Tetangco Jr. estimated that the OFW remittances for 2007 will reach $14.7 billion, or five percent higher than in 2006.
But in yesterday’s Philippine Development Forum held at the Marco Polo Hotel, Arroyo said her national agenda is to create “good paying jobs” and have stable prices so Filipinos won’t have to leave the country.
She said her government will move to bring “the benefits of a strong economy to every Filipino in every province.”
“Our solid indicators give us a fighting chance to achieve at least a seven percent growth rate moving forward to 2010. We aim to buttress confidence even more by a unifying leadership and political stability at all levels,” she added.
Amid the campaign season for this May’s elections, Arroyo reiterated that she will leave the campaigning to the candidates as she focuses on her “national agenda for good jobs and stable prices.”
World Bank director for the Philippines Joachim Von Amsberg, however, warned that the initial success of the country’s fiscal management “could lead to dangerous complacency.”
“However, based on the presentations of the Cabinet members, we perceive that the success inspires this government to be more ambitious and determined to pursue further reforms with renewed energy for better results. This is most welcome,” said von Amsberg.
Cited in the development forum is the need for all sectors and places in the Philippines to feel the benefit of the economic growth, and to address the “perception” that many existing anti-corruption initiatives “do not yet add up to a fully credible program of good governance.”
“It would be useful to establish clear indicators that can serve as a tool for gauging the effectiveness of the ongoing (anti-corruption) measures,” Von Amsberg said.
There was a suggestion to use “integrity development reviews” to assess the vulnerability of government agencies to corruption.
Also, Von Amsberg said that one effective way of “signaling government’s serious commitment” to anti-corruption efforts would be to “prioritize allocation of budgetary resources in this area,” such as increasing the budget of the Office of the Ombudsman. (JPM)
