Underemployment Rate

2009: 19.1%

2010: 18.7%

2012: 20%

2014: 18.4%

2016: 18.3%

all of the data based on PSA

Source: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/philippines/unemployment-rate

3 issues

http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/10/12/1632607/endo-wages-poverty-and-employment-labor-
market-issues

http://thestandard.com.ph/opinion/columns/business-class-by-rudy-romero/218058/major-issues-
facing-philippine-economy.html

Services Programs

OWWA programs

http://www.owwa.gov.ph/?q=content/programs-services

Source: http://ecc.gov.ph/improved-expanded-benefits-services-coverage/

MFO 1 : improved and expanded benefits, services and coverage sa health

K-12
Actual Project

Good morning everybody! We, the Tito Rodrigo’s Association, are here today to convince you guys why
our sector, the labor and services sector, should have the highest allocation of our National Budget
2018. Now, before we get to the technical stuff, what exactly is the service sector? Well, the service
sector covers all of the services that we provide inside and outside the country. So what is the big deal
about the service sector? Why do we need to give the service sector so much money and from the
people’s purses no less?! Well, to put it simply folks, the service sector is the framework of the economy
because there wouldn’t be an economy if nobody is going to provide service! If we are going to strive for
a better and more stable economy, then wouldn’t it be logical to strengthen its framework to give us
leeway for experimentation and implementation of new projects without having to fear the
consequences? Okay, what exactly do we mean when we say that we give a leeway for both our sectors
and other sectors to try out new stuff? In layman’s terms, all this is saying is if we improve the service
sector we basically give the other sectors more room to grow without fear of failure. It’s a win-win
situation!

So we pretty much described why our sector is important but if we are really that great then why do we
need so much money? Well, as much as the service sector is amazing, it also has problems. For one, our
underemployment rate has been getting better recently but at a very slow pace lowering to 18.3% in
2016 from its rise to 20% in 2012. What does this mean? Well, it means that people are not getting the
jobs that they want and that is quite the predicament. These people who cannot get the jobs they want
for are forced to do jobs that they don’t like or become OFWs in the hopes that they can find their
dream job in another country. Our country, seeing this development, has taken advantage of this
situation by making a business of exporting services. But as much as it has given us an advantage that
doesn’t mean that it is more advantageous than providing jobs that will satisfy people within their
country. If we can provide enough land, labor and capital to provide these people with a job, then we
can maximize our human capital which leads to higher efficiency and higher effectivity. If we can do
programs that would alleviate our underemployment rate it would make a large impact not only to the
quality of the service sector but to the overall quality of the economy.

But the service sector does not only cover services that affect our economy. Labor and services sector
also helps workers maintain their health and their finances. Projects such as MFO 1 of the Employee’s
Compensation Commission strive to expand and improve benefits and coverage to working people’s
health. A few ideas that we can note on MFO 1 are the Commission’s aim to have a quick response to
workers who have been on a major work accident or diseases in the workplace and the KaGaBay project
which aims to help people with work-related disabilities with training and rehabilitation to find a job.
Meanwhile, the programs made in the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration aim to help OFWs to
live and work comfortably outside the country. In the hopes of lowering our unemployment rate we
have also implemented the K-12 Basic Education Program in the Philippines in which if we implement it
properly, would also alleviate poverty and improve quality of life.
But are these projects enough? No, they are not. The K-12 Program had only just begun and the other
projects we have stated haven’t had any major changes at all. Add the fact that we cannot maximize the
human capital in this country, our efficiency will drop losing the quality of service. You also have to think
of the impact that this would have on the other sectors. For example, the government cannot continue
the building of infrastructures and other projects if the people they are getting the money from are
already suffering from poverty and unemployment. The industry cannot maximize its gains if there are
no people to maintain the manufacturing line or man the machines. We cannot strengthen international
relations if we cannot even work out the problems within our country. How can we sustain development
if we cannot even sustain the good quality of our services? As you can see, the problems of the service
sector weigh all of the other sector down but again, it doesn’t need to be like this. If the service sector is
funded, it can very much help all of the other sectors too in extension.

We have proven that our sector is needed and we have proven that funding our sector is more
beneficial than the others and we have also proven that they would benefit in our funding as well but
where exactly do we get this money? Well, the answer is simple, if we are to have additional funding
then funds of the other sectors would have to be deducted to prioritize on the service sector. As much
as it looks bad and sounds bad for the other sectors, remember that choosing to prioritize the service
sector is a win-win situation for all of us because again, all of the other sectors will benefit from it. Not
one, not two but all of them.

What more do we need? (Program we will implement using the money)