Introduction
One of the daily broadsheets a few days ago bannered that the economy was forgotten in the campaign for the 2007 midterm elections. Indeed. And with it, any meaningful discussion on the urgent concern of most voters – the need for decent work for all – was sidelined.
It is disconcerting to know that all the top contenders to the Senatorial post have inadequate solutions to the worsening jobs crisis. Meanwhile those that have a more comprehensive view of the problem hardly make it to the magic circle of 12.
It is a shame that, except for Kiko Pangilinan, all senatorial candidates invited to participate in the series of "job interviews" conducted by the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) did not show up. Failing to interview the various "job applicants", the APL leaders resorted to using the candidates' written platform, media pronouncements as well as their answers to Newsbreak's survey (The Candidates and their Stand on National Issues) particularly on questions concerning legislative agenda on job security and employment opportunity.
The labor center launched the said "job interviews" last month to evaluate the Senatorial "job applicant's" capacity to solve the jobs crisis.
At best, we found some candidate's platform inadequate. Worst, some are plainly clueless how they would address the jobs crisis!
Had this been a real "job interview", none of them would have made the cut. And there lies the problem. Workers will vote for people who are may not be qualified for the job!
The Criteria
The APL believes that government should give priority to the objective of attaining full employment. This means that all policy instruments should be coordinated towards the pursuit of a development strategy centered on full employment.
To achieve full employment, the country needs a roadmap for an alternative development paradigm. One that promotes industrialization based on the development of the local economy. This can only be done by breaking with the discredited neoliberal straightjacket of "one size fits all" that successive governments have been implementing these past few decades.
The drive for full employment carries many implications for a whole range of policies: industrial, agrarian reform and rural development, fiscal and monetary, investment, trade, public sector reform, enterprise development and education policies.
The soundness of a candidate's platform for full employment, if any, was assessed based on the abovementioned policies.
Observations
We would mostly limit our observations to those who made it to the magic circle in the recent SWS survey on the senatorial race (Inquirer, May 10, 2007).
None of the top contenders presented a comprehensive agenda for full employment. Candidates who made it to the magic circle have either inadequate solutions or, worst, are plainly clueless how they would address the jobs crisis! There is a poverty of ideas on how to solve the jobs crisis in all the political camps – pro-administration, opposition and independents.
Most seems to be contented with supporting small and medium scale enterprises. Others offer livelihood programs and increase the employability of workers through trainings. Some would go for pump priming through infrastructure development. These proposals maybe useful in creating jobs, but by themselves, they will not solve the jobs crisis. Addressing the jobs crisis is a complex problem that requires a comprehensive response.
If we want to generate jobs for more than 10 million Filipinos who are unemployed or underemployed, we would need more than a mishmash of palliative measures. As previously mentioned we need a roadmap for an alternative development paradigm that promotes industrialization based on the development of the local economy.
Unfortunately, as we will see, most of the top contenders have given up on industrialization and agrarian reform.
No clear industrial policy. For almost all of those who are in the magic circle, what amounted to an industrial policy would commonly be a program that would support small and medium scale enterprises, expand BPOs and develop tourism.
While these proposals may be important, it will not be able to absorb the surplus labor we have. The quality of jobs generated in these areas is wanting as well. It should also be noted that most sweatshops are found in small and medium scale enterprises. Meanwhile, health problems related to work in BPOs are now slowly being revealed.
To their credit, only Loren Legarda and Chiz Escudero called for industrial development, but even they lacked clear positions on other measures that are necessary to realize any form of industrialization such as agrarian reform, fiscal, monetary and trade policies, to name a few.
Deafening Silence on Agrarian Reform. None of the top contenders mentioned anything about pursuing agrarian reform, a crucial ingredient for industrialization. At best, they called for more farm-to-market roads, a halt to land conversion, increasing budgetary allocation for agri-business centers and cooperatives. But no one dared to call for the completion of agrarian reform!
No Challenge to Neoliberal Hold on Fiscal and Monetary Policies. None of the top contenders are daring enough to challenge the neoliberal hold over fiscal and monetary policy. No one seems to realize that monetary policy should be used more broadly to encompass development objectives. That rather than focus on controlling inflation, this policy must have full employment as its main goal, subject to inflation constraints.
Using the responses to Newbreak's survey, only Recto and Zubiri have mentioned fiscal and monetary policies, inadequate as they are.
It is interesting to note that only the senatorial candidates of Kapatiran have a clear pronouncement on the repeal of the Automatic Appropriations Act!
Some Interesting Ideas and Some Dangerous Proposals on Investment Policies. Using Newbreak's survey again, only Lacson, Pangilinan, Recto and Cayetano gave statements on investment policies. Recto said he intends to earmark "20 percent of tax collections of the previous year for infrastructure" while Cayetano calls for the creation of an "OFW's Investment Corporation." Presumably, Cayetano intends to mobilize OFW remittances for investments. These are interesting proposals that merit a closer study but should be advanced as part of a comprehensive agenda for industrialization.
On the other hand, Lacson's proposal for an amendment to the constitution that "will open equity and ownership to foreign investors in domestic corporations to encourage more investments" is dangerous. Investment liberalization will leave domestic corporations vulnerable to hostile takeovers, and their workers defenseless against layoffs. A sound investment policy should allow protection to selected industries. After all, no country industrialized without protective measures against undue foreign competition at the start.
During our dialogue with the staff of Kiko Pangilinan, we raised our concerns regarding the senator's proposal for an "investment-friendly environment through labor market reforms." We pointed out that such a proposal can lead to further weakening of labor regulations but would not lead to more investment as the ADB itself, in one of its studies, revealed. We have yet to receive a clarification from the Senator.
Absence of a Clear Trade Policy. At a time when the Arroyo administration is negotiating free trade agreements left and right, it is alarming to realize that none of the top contenders have a clear policy on trade relations. Believing that the Legislature should provide clear parameters to the Executive on how trade negotiations should be conducted, the candidates' silence on this area leaves us with a distressing feeling that our future Solons would just allow Malacañang, by default or by consent, to negotiate away all our "policy spaces", our ability to have the flexibility to use trade policies to promote industrialization.
Lack of an Effective Labor Policy. Again using the Newsbreak's survey and the policy pronouncements of the top contenders, it appears that worker's rights and welfare is not on top of their agenda. No one dared mention anything about contractualization and casualization!
Too bad that the only candidate that dared to do so, Sonia Roco, who declared that she intends to "minimize if not totally eliminate culture of casualization and contractualization", is yet to make it to the magic circle! Escudero seems to recognize the problems with these harmful practices but did not elaborate on a clear proposal on how to address it.
Zubiri, Angara and Pangilinan were the only ones who have included labor policy in their platforms. Zubiri called for the raising of labor welfare standards and law compliance and an increase in both SSS and GSIS benefits while Angara wanted "total overhaul of the labor code to cope up with the changing labor needs and situation."
Conclusion
All Senatorial candidates included in the magic circle according to the latest SWS survey (May 10, 2007) were measured and are found inadequate. Tinimbang sila, ngunit kulang!
At best, we found some candidate's platforms inadequate. They may have some good ideas, but none of them have a comprehensive solution to the problem.
Some have simplistic ideas. Villar seems to think that the jobs crisis can be solved simply by ensuring the employability of workers through trainings. What can trainings do when there are no jobs! Meanwhile Lacson seems to believe that one can solve the jobs crisis if only there is no corruption. If only things are as simple as what these Senators think, then workers need not worry about the jobs crisis!
We should therefore remind all workers not to pin too much hope for whomever they vote for the Senate.
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