“Dahil mananatili pa rin ang ‘Build, Build, Build’ initiative ng ating gobyerno, magkakaroon po tayo ng job fair specially targeting the OFWs dahil kailangan po natin sila ngayong narito na sa bayan natin sila dahil kulang na kulang po talaga ang ating mga construction workers dahil marami nga po ay nagsi-abroad na,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said during his regular media briefing.
[Because the government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ push continues, we will hold a job fair targeting OFWs because we need them now that they are home. We are really lacking construction workers because a lot of them went to work abroad.]
The government promises construction jobs for thousands of returning overseas Filipino workers. Roque said the Cabinet is still finalizing the list of infrastructure projects that will remain priorities despite the pandemic.
Over 24,000 Filipino workers have flown home so far. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s data showed that 11,848 workers have returned to their hometowns as of Monday.
On the other hand, the economy will take a hit from the expected drop in OFW remittances, Roque said. However, Roque said the inherent strength of the domestic economy could soften the blow.
OFWs remitted $33.5 billion to the Philippines in 2019, equivalent to ₱1.7 trillion according to central bank data.
