The official Facebook page of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) earned tons of “angry face” button following its announcement to cut down by 90 percent the deployment of construction workers abroad in a bid to address the shortage of manpower in the domestic construction industry.
Labor Secretary Silvertre Bello III said that the domestic construction sector would need some 800,000 to 1 million skilled workers – including architects, engineers, and laborers.
Bello said that 28 pipeline projects are targeted to be finished before the end of the term of President Rodrigo Duterte in 2022. Delays its implementation continue to pile up, mainly because of lack of labor force or job mismatch.
Overseas Filipinos were apparently unhappy with the announcement.
“Just salary is needed so Filipino construction workers will opt not to go abroad,” one Facebook user said.
“The Philippines is a province of China. Bring all Chinese workers here,” another OFW, who works in the construction industry, said.
