GMA heeding Pope's call for more jobs for the poor - Palace

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo is more than willing to heed the call of Pope Benedict XVI to generate more jobs for the poor in the country.

Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo said the President constantly reminds her Cabinet members of the importance of employment opportunities for poor Filipinos to help insulate them from the effects of the global economic crisis.

Fajardo said that during the last Cabinet meeting, Mrs. Arroyo tackled the implementation of emergency employment and livelihood programs for the poor.

“Even without the appeal of the Pope, the Arroyo administration is doing that already,” Fajardo said.

She said the emergency employment program was on top of the various cash subsidies and financial assistance to impoverished sectors using proceeds of the value-added tax on oil.

Fajardo said the government’s pump-priming program through massive spending for infrastructure projects would also generate local employment.

Fajardo said Mrs. Arroyo has assigned a Cabinet member to each region to make sure the emergency employment and livelihood programs are fully implemented.

CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said the Pope gave the message while welcoming the Philippines’ new ambassador to the Vatican, Cristina Ponce-Enrile, on Oct. 27.

Benedict XVI said the government should provide more and better opportunities so that Filipinos would not be forced to leave their families to work abroad.

“With about eight million Filipinos working outside the country and sending money home to support their families, the government is rightly concerned about protecting the dignity and rights of its citizens abroad,” the Pope said.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), meanwhile, rejected calls to suspend the deployment of Filipino workers to various countries abroad.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said the government, particularly the DOLE, could not prevent Filipinos from leaving the country for better work opportunities abroad.

“While we respect the opinion of others who are against overseas employment, we are allowing our workers to decide on their own. Overseas employment will continue to be an option for our nationals,” he said.

Roque maintained the DOLE has been exerting all efforts to provide decent employment for Filipinos even without Pope Benedict asking for it. –With Mayen Jaymalin