Over 600,000 jobs were created as of April 2018 as a result of the government’s Build, Build, Build program, according to Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon of NEDA. 

Number of employed persons increased by 2 percentage points to 1.6% or 40.9 Million jobs from -1.27% or 40.27 Million jobs the previous year. According to the latest round of the labor force survey of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), 625,000 more Filipinos were employed as of April 2018. 

Of this number, 605,000 came from industry, including manufacturing and construction. From industry, 468,000 jobs were generated from construction, as an effect of the government’s Build, Build, Build program.

Build, Build, Build was the biggest contributor to employment. Build, Build, Build is the government’s flagship program made possible through the Budget Department’s aggressive infrastructure spending policy using funds generated through various programs including the tax reform program TRAIN. 

Government spending on infrastructure grew a staggering 96% or nearly double from P33.5 Billion in April 2017 to 65.6 Billion in 2018. This is in line with the present administration’s budget policy to increase spending to achieve what the Sec. Diokno calls the Philippines’ Golden Age of Infrastructure. 

(End)