March 8, 2005

The celebration of women's month remains marked with news of human rights violations (HRVs) against women. Four leaders and coordinators of GABRIELA, a national federation of grassroots women, were recently illegally arrested and detained in Quezon Province last March 1.

The four women leaders - Miralyn Gamba, 34, Quezon provincial coordinator; Nancy Elle, 33, Quezon first district coordinator; Leonila Manalo, 32, Real district coordinator; and Aileen Ramos, 23, Tayabas municipal coordinator - were forcibly arrested while they were on their way home after conducting brief consultations with municipal and district coordinators regarding the ongoing Balikatan military exercises in Quezon and the relief and rehabilitation efforts of GABRIELA. All four were released only on March 4 after charges filed against them were dropped due to lack of evidence.

Cases of harassments and HRVs on women are not uncommon as six out of fourteen human rights workers (43%) killed under the Arroyo administration are women, according to a study conducted by an independent research and training institute for women.

The Center for Women's Resources (CWR) also noted that overall, there are 3,339 cases of human rights violations (HRVs) recorded under the Arroyo administration affecting 188,013 victims, 18,535 families and 81 communities. These are based on reports of human rights groups such as KARAPATAN.

A report released by the US State Department in 2004 likewise cited the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) as the top human rights violators in the Philippines. Included in the document "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2004" is the massacre of farm workers in Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac, two of whom were children.

"The government is supposed to protect its citizens, not take the lead in the commission of violence against them. On top of the economic violence being experienced by the people, human rights violations, particularly against women human rights advocates continue to be as rampant as before. This is very disturbing considering we have a woman president," explained Ms. Jojo Guan, CWR deputy executive director.

"It is alarming that at a time when a woman president is in power, more and more women and children are becoming victims of terror created by the State's own military. It is condemnable that a leader who was put in power through people's dissent and militancy is now in the forefront of declaring dissent and militancy as terrorism," Ms. Guan noted.

contact: Jojo Guan (CWR Deputy Executive Director) or Rosanna Langara

March 1, 2005

On the average, a woman is beaten up every two hours and 40 minutes, another is raped every eight hours, while almost two women are exposed to lascivious acts everyday, according to a study by the Center for Women's Resources (CWR), a research and training institute.

The study also shows that on the average a child is sexually abused every two hours and 40 minutes, another is beaten up almost every three hours, one is neglected every three hours and 25 minutes, and another is abandoned around every eight hours.

These violent incidents against women and children occur despite recently enacted laws such as the RA 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) Act of 2004.

Although data from the Philippine National Police (PNP) showed a notable decline in the number of reported cases by an average of 10.5% since 2001 to 2004, CWR deputy executive director Jojo Guan maintains that "we cannot confidently claim that VAW incidents are being curbed."

CWR cites its survey in 2003 where majority of VAW victims choose to confide in their friends and relatives instead of reporting their experiences to authorities. "Some of the reasons cited include the fact that many of the victims are ashamed of their experiences; or they are frustrated over the lack of result in their complaints; or they are unaware that immediate assistance to victims of violence against women and children (VAWC) are required by law to be available at the barangay level, " explains Guan.

There are more VAWC victims who seek help of women's organizations such as Gabriela. A significant 9% increase in the number of women and children, from 2003 to 2004, have sought the organization's counseling services and legal assistance.

Guan maintains that there is still a need, not only of women but of the every community, for massive information-education campaign regarding VAW.

Violence against women and children will be further discussed during CWR's ULAT LILA forum on March 4, from 9am to 11am at the Bulwagang Tandang Sora, College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD), UP Diliman, QC.

contact: Jojo Guan (CWR Deputy Executive Director) or Kat Domingo

February 24, 2005

Sixty percent of Filipino families fail to live in decent conditions, according to the Center for Women's Resources (CWR).

Quoting the data from the 2003 Family and Income Expenditure Survey (FIES), CWR deputy executive director Mary Joan Guan said that 60% of Filipino families, or 3 for every five fail to earn sufficient amount to be able to live decently.

"A family of six needs at least P456 a day. But based on the 2003 FIES, 9.8 million families do not earn as much. This means that six out of ten families live in a hand-to-mouth existence."

Government data reports a significant drop in poverty incidence per family from 27.5% in 2000 to 24.7% in 2003. Guan, meanwhile, contends that there was relatively no change in the living conditions of Filipinos from 2000 to 2003.

"In 2000, cost of living for a family with six members was pegged at P151,500. CWR points that based on government data, more than 9 million families or 60% of the population failed to meet the cost of living. In 2003, annual cost of living per family went up to P166,500 primarily due to a high inflation rate. Based on NSO data also, 9.8 million families which also comprise 60% of the 2003 population failed to reach the minimum cost of living in order to survive decently. This reflects a zero rate improvement in terms of living conditions for majority of Filipinos, " Guan explained quoting the recently released survey by the NSO.

CWR based its study on the FIES which is released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and by adjusting the data released by NSO in 1994 on the daily cost of living to reflect inflation.

The FIES is a nationwide survey of households undertaken every three years by the NSO. It is the main source of data on family income and expenditure which include, among others, levels of consumption by item of expenditure as well as sources of income in cash and in kind. The results of FIES provide information on the levels of living and disparities in income of Filipino families, as well as spending patterns.

"The reported increase in the gross national product likewise failed to trickle down to the population. In 2000, per capita GNP in constant terms was recorded at US$ 292. In 2004, this went down to US$ 260 per Filipino. So how can we rejoice and shout yahoo?"

Per capita GNP, measured by dividing the gross national product by the number of Filipinos, is used by economists to measure the degree of economic development.

CWR, however, noted an alarming decline in terms of per capita GNP. In 2000, per capita GNP in 1985 prices was recorded at $292. By 2001, this went down to $257, but slightly went up to $270 in 2002. The figure, however, decreased again in 2003 to $265, and was computed at $260 in 2004.

CWR attributes the decline to three factors. First is the depreciation of the peso, by as much as 27% from 2000 to 2004, compared to the dollar. Second is the continuous increase in the prices of commodities, or inflation. Third is the government's dismal anti-poverty measure.

Issues on poverty is one of the issues that will be discussed in-depth in CWR's Ulat Lila forum on March 4 at 9 to 11am at the College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD), University of the Philippines Diliman. Briefing papers will also be avaible during the forum.

contact: Jojo A. Guan (CWR Deputy Executive Director), or Shirley Nuevo

February 16, 2005

Everytime 36-year-old Charito Wenceslao goes to the market to buy food for her family's dinner, she sees fewer and fewer food items in her basket. Charito earns her living from washing clothes, massaging, and cleaning several houses. She earns around P1,800 a week, or an average of P257 per day, which is barely enough to feed her eight children. Her husband, Naldo, holds an irregular job as a carpenter. Charito fears that she would barely have any earning this coming June because two of her foreign employers will be leaving the country. And with the continuous rise in the prices of commodities, Charito can only hope that she will find new employers before June comes.

Only two of Charito's children continue to go to school, one in Grade five and the other in Grade three. The other children has to stop schooling. "Money that should be spend for school is spent to buy food instead." Her older daughter, 16-year-old Inday, works as a nanny after she had stopped going to school. And like any other mother, Charito also fears for her children's future.

Adding more to her fears are the impending effects should the proposed tax laws be passed by Congress, particularly the value-added tax (VAT). Nearly 70% of Charito's income is spent on food alone, composed mostly of rice, fish, milk for her two-year-old son, cooking oil, sugar, coffee, and condiments. Charito buys a kilo of pork or chicken once a week. Beef is definitely out of her budget. "They're very expensive," she lamented. "Perhaps the only time my children get to know what beef tastes like is when we buy beef flavored noodles."

Charito's plight is not uncommon. With more that a quarter of the 84 million Filipinos living below the government-defined poverty line, passage of Malacañang's eight revenue measures including the impending two-percentage point VAT rate increase may indeed be like rubbing salt to an open wound. The proposed 12% VAT rate, once approved, is expected to create not just ripples but waves that will wash away whatever economic capacity that is left to those who can barely earn a living.

Like all other consumers, Charito has no choice but to pay the imbedded VAT in every commodity she buys. Unfortunately, not even half of what consumers pay for VAT goes to government coffers. In 2003 alone total VAT collection amounted to P135 billion, or a poor 48% of the P279-billion VAT collection target for that year.

Data from the Department of Finance (DoF) show that from 1998 -- a year after the passage of the Tax Reform Act (RA 8424) which institutionalized the imposition of the VAT -- until 2003, total VAT leakage already amounted to a whooping P352.1 billion in foregone revenue. In that span of six years, an average of P58.7 billion was lost every year due to VAT leakage alone, not even enough to equal the estimated P50.17 billion additional revenue should the proposed two-percentage point increase be granted by Congress.

VAT paid by consumers is collected by the government through the VAT-registered establishments. These establishments, in principle, act as collecting agents remitting their VAT collections imbedded in the products they sell to consumers on periods specified by law.

When a supplier or manufacturer buys materials to be used or transformed into another product, the VAT that he pays, called the input VAT, is registered in his book of accounts. The input VAT for all the items he purchased to come up with a product is later on passed on to the wholesaler as output or sales VAT. The wholesaler registers this VAT in his book of accounts as input VAT, which he later on passes to the retailer as output VAT. The retailer ultimately charges the VAT he paid from the wholesaler to the consumers. In principle, every VAT-registered business establishment who pays an input VAT and collects an output VAT must remit the difference to the government. The consumer at the end of the chain, meanwhile, ends up shouldering the VAT since he cannot pass the VAT to anybody else. (This is illustrated in the table below - see Feb 10, 2005 entry.)

The leak in VAT collection, however, starts when the input VAT is higher than the output VAT. This can happen in many ways, according to a certified public accountant interviewed by the Center for Women's Resources.

"One example is when there is less sales compared to purchases. This can happen when a company buys or invests in expensive equipment like machineries or computers, which can push its input VAT higher than its output VAT, but only for the year or period when that company made the investments. After that, when the results of the new investments would kick in -- higher production, more subscribers or customers, and more sales -- the output VAT must be higher than the input VAT."

"Another possible reason for a higher input VAT is when its sales are low, or when the company is losing money. In reality, however, not all companies who have higher input VAT are losing in their business," says the source.

"It could be because there is connivance between the buyer and the seller not to issue a receipt for their transaction, or when the seller deliberately misses to issue receipts for their sales, which makes it difficult for the government to trace how much VAT to collect. So while the poor consumer pays the price of a product which is already VAT-inclusive, that tax doesn't go to the government's coffers but is slid into the business owner's own pockets."

Data from the National Tax Research Center (NTRC) and the DoF show that from 1998 to 2003, VAT leakage averaged 33% annually. For every peso paid by consumers for VAT, 33 centavos was lost due to leakage. The most clear reason for this is the very low VAT collection effort by the government, through BIR. VAT effort, measured by the collections from VAT as percentage of the GDP, was 3% in 1998. By 2003, VAT effort was 3.1%, reflecting a near-zero improvement in terms of VAT effort.

Alarmingly, the government has deemed to content itself with its low VAT collection effort. Prior to the passage of House Bill 3555 last January 27, DoF estimated P35.12 billion in additional revenue from the two percentage-point VAT increase, at 70% collection efficiency rate. This implies that DoF is already anticipating around P15.05 billion in leakage even if VAT is increased to 12%.

Another source, a tax lawyer, explained that what is more appalling with the government's weak monitoring mechanism in collecting VAT is that it not only allows VAT-registered businesses to pocket the VAT collected from the consumers, but it also allows many companies to even claim for tax credits and profit more from them.

"A VAT-registered company can claim that it incurred loses when it has a higher input VAT. When this happens, it can file for tax credit. So-called zero-rated companies are also allowed by our revenue code to claim refunds for the input VAT they paid since they cannot pass the same to their buyers," explains a lady lawyer who used to work for one of the biggest auditing firms in the country.

The National Internal Revenue Code (RA 8424) enumerates VAT-registered entities that can claim for zero-rated VAT privileges when they produce or manufacture goods for export, or render services that are paid in foreign currencies, or those whose export sales exceed 70% of their annual production. In effect, a zero VAT rate also allows these firms to claim tax refund from the government for the VAT they paid for their inputs.

Example of so-called "zero-rated companies" are garment factories that export their goods, vessels exclusively engaged in international shipping, and recruitment agencies.

Unlike VAT-exempted business entities that cannot claim tax credits unless they collect VAT as reflected in their sales invoice or receipts, zero-rated are guaranteed by law to receive tax refunds for the input VAT they paid on the materials they purchased and used in their production. Tax refunds are granted by the government in the form of tax credit certificates (TCCs).

And this is where the scam starts.

The National Internal Revenue Code allows VAT-registered entities to claim for refund when they incur a bigger input VAT. The rationale behind this is that the law assumes that it is unfair for VAT-registered companies that act as mere collecting agents to bear the brunt of a tax that is supposed to be collected from consumers.

Zero-rated companies, in particular, cannot charge VAT to their buyers since companies or business entities falling under this category are usually engaged in export of goods and services, while some act as subcontractors for exporters or foreign corporations. The input VAT incurred by these companies are refundable through what is called a tax credit certificate.

Tax credit certificates, or TCCs, are documents evidencing the undertaking by the government to refund the amount indicated in the said certificate not as cash but as tax credits. TCCs are issued instead of cash since the Constitution prohibits disbursement of money from the government's treasury not appropriated for in the national budget. TCCs are issued by the One-Stop Shop Inter-Agency Credit and Duty Drawback Center, or more commonly known as the Tax Credit Center, composed of representatives from DoF, Board of Investments (BoI), Bureau of Customs (BoC), and BIR.

Companies that paid bigger input VAT as well as zero-rated companies are given TCCs, which they can use to settle their other tax obligations. In the same manner, companies that have been issued TCCs for their tax refunds may use these to settle their VAT obligations.

RA 8424 also allows companies to transfer their TCCs to other companies on a one-time basis only and usually at discounted rates. For years, according to a source, such scheme has become an incentive for many firms to bloat their input VAT or to convert or create subsidiaries to engage in the export business in order to obtain TCCs from the government, which they can later on use to settle their tax obligations.

"Others simply use it to make money. They do this by making fraudulent TCCs with the help of some government officials and have them transferred and approved with little effort," said one source who acts as a broker for companies that want transfer their TCCs to other firms.

Between 1992 and 1998, 64 companies were discovered to have obtained 1,600 fraudulent TCCs amounting to P5.3 billion. Prior to his ouster from power, President Estrada even created a task force to investigate the matter and to identify the government officials behind what was dubbed as "the grandmother of all scams." A case was filed with the Sandiganbayan, but was subsequently dismissed. The reason: the Ombudsman's "failure to prosecute."

TCCs, while transferable only once, have become potent tools for many companies to minimize or discount on their tax liabilities. Transfers of TCCs are made at a discounted rate through brokers or middlemen.

"If several TCCs were issued to company A, for example, amounting to P1 billion for their VAT refund, and they only have P500 million tax liabilities the following year, they can transfer the other half of their TCCs to other companies at a discounted rate and make use of the cash."

The problem, however, begins when companies make profit out of such scheme.

"Under the law, every VAT transaction should be supported by documents. This should help BIR cross check the authenticity of the input VAT claims of a company and to debit them with its output VAT. But with numerous VAT-registered companies claiming input VAT and charging output VAT, I doubt if BIR can cross-check every single transaction. This gives several companies the incentive and the opportunity to bloat their input VAT, or to go into production of zero-rated goods so they can eventually file tax credit claims," explains the source, whose side job is to broker transfers of TCCs.

The mad scramble to obtain VAT credit certificates has practically dried not only the coffers of the government treasury, but more so the pockets of the consumers. Data from the National Tax Research Center (NTRC) and the DoF show an estimated P352 billion in foregone revenue from 1998 to 2003 due to leakage. The amount is nearly equal to the government's dismal VAT collection for three years, from 2001 to 2003, amounting to P357.5 billion.

"The plunder may be more," warns the source. "It could be highly probable, given our inefficient tax monitoring system, that there are some companies that have reported high input VAT when in reality they merely pocketed their output VAT, were even granted millions, if not billions of pesos, in tax refunds. It had happened before, and it is happening still even now while the Senate is busy deliberating who shall be taxed with VAT and by how much. And this scam is causing us lots and lots of money."

In 2003 alone, VAT collection fell 52% short of the government's target, in practical terms: for every one peso a consumer paid for VAT, only 48 centavos was given to the government. The alarming low VAT collection has prompted Malacañang to adopt what many consumer groups call knee-jerk solution by clamoring for the passage of law that aims to increase the present dismal VAT collection. From the present 10% uniform VAT, Congress is presently busy deliberating whether to grant a two-percentage point increase or to adopt a multi-tier VAT.

But Center for Women's Resources deputy executive director Jojo Guan has a different view on the matter.

"Ordinary consumers do not believe that the solution is the passage of a higher VAT rate, nor to pass other tax laws in lieu of increasing the VAT. In reality, all these taxes are just passed on eventually to the end-consumers. It is just that VAT, by its very nature, hits consumers without any pretense. What needs to be addressed is the scam behind all these forms of taxes and how VAT, as well as other taxes, leak to the pockets of the beneficial few. Otherwise, taxes, being the lifeblood of the nation, are squeezing the life and blood of the poor."

contact: Jojo A. Guan (CWR Deputy Executive Director), or Shirley Nuevo

February 10, 2005

February 8, 2005

26 October 2004

For some women's rights advocates, years of struggle in the women's movement have now been coupled with one of the most formidable human afflictions - cancer. Cancer is the third leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines, according to a study conducted by the Center for Women's Resources (CWR), a research and training institute.

More than any other disease, cancer provokes fearful images of pain and inevitable death. Over the years, the women's movement mourned the loss of notable women's rights advocates who succumbed to cancer. These women carved a niche in the struggle despite their illness. Presently, surviving women cancer patients in the movement continue to strive for women rights and empowerment, in spite of cancer.

"Low cancer prevention consciousness and declining health budget affect the prevalence of cancer in the Philippines," notes Ms. Gertrudes Ranjo-Libang, CWR executive director.

The 2005 Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates, released by the Philippine Cancer Society, Inc. Manila, projects that breast cancer will still be the leading cancer site among Filipino women in 2005 with 14,043 cases or 25.6 per cent of all cancer incidence among women. This is followed by cervical cancer, with 13.3 per cent or 7,277 cases. The third leading cancer site among women is lung cancer, with 7.2 per cent or 3,965 cases.

"Treatment for cancer is expensive so most cancer victims among the lower strata of the populace have to contend with the bureaucratic requirements of charity service for treatment such as chemotherapy. Because of the high rate of charity cancer patients, only a limited number could be accommodated. Women's rights advocates, who are mostly living on an allowance basis, could not afford the treatment. The sorry state of women cancer victims is compounded with the meager budget for health allocated by the government," Libang adds.

"The high incidence of cancer in the Philippines should be alarming for government. But with a meager budget allotted for health and with a fiscal crisis to boot, we could expect that cancer researches would be the least of the government's priorities," Libang concludes.

In this light, CWR will be launching a benefit-soiree tomorrow, Oct. 27, 2004, as a fund-raising project for cancer patients among the women's rights advocates. Entitled "Kababaihan Kontra Kanser," the soiree will be held at the CWR office, 127-B Sct. Fuentebella St., Brgy. Sacred Heart. Quezon City. This event is in line with the commemoration of the National Women's Day of Protest. The benefit-soiree will be highlighted with performances of women artists through songs and poems. Ticket costs P100, with a cup of coffee or iced tea. For inquiries, please contact Kat or Josie at 926-1956.

Contact: Rosanna Langara or Jojo Guan, 411-2796, 926-1956

13 July 2004

More than 370,000 textbooks for elementary students, 45 classrooms, 480 computers, or 160 teachers are the equivalent budget of the P1.4 million a month allotted for the RP troops assigned in Iraq, according to a research and training institute, the Center for Women's Resources (CWR).

CWR formed the calculation after an AFP spokesperson revealed yesterday morning in a radio interview that the government gives $500 a month as additional allowance for each of the 51 members of the government troops in Iraq. This translates to $25,500 or P1.4 million per month.

According to CWR study last March, the government budget for each public school student from elementary to high school is a low P3,426. There is still a backlog of 10,708 classrooms, 11 million textbooks, and 9,017 teachers. And the government needs an additional P10.62 billion to fill these needs.

“Just imagine if that P1.4 million-a-month budget is allotted for education, then there will be more students served, more teachers hired, and the quality of teaching will be more satisfactory,” explained Gert Ranjo-Libang, CWR's executive director.

CWR calculated, based from the 2003-2004 government budget report, that the amount would be equivalent to 373, 333 textbooks for elementary students, or 480 computers, or 45 new classrooms, or the salaries of 160 new teachers.

Education is also one of the priorities articulated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her ten-point agenda during her pre-inaugural speech last June 30.

“The government should have the political will to spend its funds for the benefit of the majority. It is appalling to discover that the government could spend more than a million in a US-war related project that is not even popularly supported by the Filipinos and just give crumbs to the much-needed improvement in our education programs,” remarked Libang.

contact: Jojo A. Guan or Rosanna Langara, 411-2796 or 926-1956

12 July 2004

“This could just be a precedent, there may be next Filipino hostages,” warned Gert Ranjo-Libang, the executive director of a research and training institute, the Center for Women's Resources (CWR), as Filipinos anxiously wait and pray for the safety of Filipino hostage in Iraq, Angelo de la Cruz.

According to a CWR study last year at the start of US war in Iraq, 271,293 Filipinos left to work in the Middle East as of October and more than half of those working in the countries bordering Iraq, namely Kuwait and Israel, were women. “So if the government continues its callous stand of not pulling our troops out of Iraq, there's a great possibility that the next victim could be a woman, who is more vulnerable to harassment and abuse,” remarked Libang. There were even two Filipino women workers reportedly raped in Kuwait just this first quarter of 2004.

Based on POEA's record last year, CWR women comprised 51% of those who worked in Kuwait and they also comprised 54% of those who worked in Israel. The Philippine government sent military troops in Iraq for humanitarian service, as part of the “rehabilitation campaign” initiated by the US government.

"Although they know the danger, most of the Filipinos take the risk to stay in the Middle East and only 10% of them want to go home. This is understandable because they know that when they return, they will just add to the 3.9 million unemployed," explained Libang.

Majority (52.64%) of Filipino women in the Middle East last year worked as domestic helpers, 15.78% as caregivers and 9.24% as professional nurses. The rest render their service as clerks, artists, entertainers and medical staff.

"Even prior to this conflict in Iraq, Filipino women in the Middle East already work in vulnerable occupations that involve greater isolation, give low status to women and have inadequate legal protection from the host government,” reminded Libang.

She added, “This is a litmus test for President Arroyo who promised a better condition for her countrymen in her pre-inaugural speech. It is a choice between saving a consitituent by pulling out our troops in Iraq or playing tough and sacrificing a life just to show how loyal she is to the American government.”

contact: Jojo A. Guan or Rosanna Langara, 411-2796, 926-1956

A challenge to the presidentiables:

JOBS FOR THE NEW 382, 802 GRADUATES

22 April 2004

Permanent jobs for the new 382, 802 graduates – that is the challenge posed by a research and training institute for the presidentiables who are all promising an improvement of life for any voter.

According to a study of the research and training institute Center for Women's Resources (CWR), the future of new college graduates is bleak as they join the 35.4 million labor force. Citing the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) data, a total of 382, 802 college students in public and private schools and universities all over the country will graduate this school year. Most of them come from business and other related courses such as accountancy, secretarial, and commerce.

“But these graduates will have a hard time looking for permanent jobs since very few jobs are generated by the economy. Though unemployment rate remains at 11.4%, the number of unemployed grew by 58,000. While the number of underemployed or those working less than 40 hours and still looking for work has gone up by 106,000,” explained Gert Ranjo-Libang, CWR's executive director.

In a recent NSO labor force survey, of the 3.9 million unemployed last year, 615,000 were bachelor degree holders. The same NSO survey also revealed that a bulk of last year's graduates are still unemployed while some are underemployed.

“Most of the new graduates, if hired, will probably become encoders, programmers, call center operators, or even salespersons in wholesale and retail stores. The downside is that the nature of these jobs is contractual. Contractualization may provide employment in a limited period but it will never provide job security. Apart from contractualization, new graduates have to contend with possible unemployment,” remarked Libang.

Libang added, “Presidential candidates are trying to win votes by promising jobs to the people. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, for instance, has promised to generate one million jobs per year. But the three million jobs that she boasted of creating during her three-year stay in Malacañang was only underpaid and contractual jobs such as street sweeping.”

CWR emphasized that unemployment and contractualization are two of the grim realities that graduates face after graduation. “What future awaits these graduates is less than encouraging. If the presidential candidates are serious about their commitment to serve the people, they must address the unemployment problem that has been a persistent sore of our society,” Libang concluded.

Contact: Jojo A. Guan or Rosanna Langara, 411-2796 or 926-1956