PEZA Director General Charito Plaza (PNA file photo)
MANILA – The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) aims to help repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the coronavirus pandemic by launching the Development Outreach for Labor, Livelihood, and Advancement of Resources, or the DOLLAR program.
In a statement Monday, PEZA director general Charito Plaza said the DOLLAR program will create job opportunities for Filipinos by connecting them to 4,542 PEZA locators within its 408 economic zones nationwide.
“The objective of the DOLLAR program is to promote and accelerate industrial, economic, and social development of the country so that jobs can be provided for the Filipino people especially among those living in rural areas,” Plaza said.
Aside from providing job opportunities, Plaza added the program targets to enhance the skills of Filipino labor force by partnering with state universities and industries.
“(We) need to train them further so that their skills will match the needs of the industries. PEZA’s goal is to transform Filipinos into being multi-knowledge, multi-skilled, and world-class workers in every region of the country,” she said.
Plaza further said the agency is coordinating with local government units (LGUs), public ecozones, locators and industry associations for the implementation of the program.
“Since every region has different needs and resources, this program will encourage the growth of domestic enterprises that will produce the importation needs of export enterprises so that the supply chain is completed and jobs are provided as well,” she said.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported last week that the country recorded its highest unemployment rate in April 2020 at 17.7 percent. This means 7.3 million Filipinos do not have jobs in April 2020.
During the Sulong Pilipinas online forum Monday, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the surging unemployment figure in April 2020 was mainly due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, wherein the government made the decision to implement lockdown measures to save lives. (PNA)
