Senator Joel Villanueva is demanding accountability from government agencies over the rising number of unemployed Filipinos, saying existing employment laws and programs must now translate into actual jobs.
Villanueva called on concerned agencies to report to the Senate on the implementation of employment programs after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recorded an unemployment rate of 5.4% in September, up from 3.8% a year earlier.
The latest figure represents 2.86 million jobless Filipinos, around 900,000 more than the number recorded in September 2025.
“The challenge is no longer legislation, but implementation,” Villanueva said.
He pointed out that the government already has the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, which he principally authored and sponsored in 2023, to identify industries with strong job-generation potential.
The Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework Act, meanwhile, was enacted to ensure that industry-based training leads to actual employment.
However, Villanueva noted that while the labor force grew by 1.63 million, only 721,000 jobs were added.
He warned that the employment situation could worsen because of the looming Super El Niño, which the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) expects to persist into the first half of 2027.
PSA data showed that paddy rice growing and muscovado sugar production alone shed 880,000 jobs in September.
The Department of Agriculture has also warned that as many as 4.6 million of the country’s 10.4 million farmers and fisherfolk could be affected under a worst-case scenario.
Villanueva said the government must prepare alternative employment opportunities for agricultural workers who could lose their livelihoods because of prolonged drought.
He also called for more training in artificial intelligence and robotics, saying workers must be equipped with skills needed by industries in the coming years.
The senator urged the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and Commission on Higher Education to submit reports to the Senate.
He wants the agencies to identify which employment targets have been achieved, which programs are being implemented and which remain only on paper. The reports should also detail assistance for displaced agricultural workers and the number of Filipinos reached by AI and robotics training programs.
“Our workers and graduates have waited long enough for these laws to deliver meaningful results, with more and better-quality jobs. We will continue to press for accountability to turn these commitments into opportunities for Filipinos,” Villanueva said.
