Manila—On February 17, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) launched new partnerships that will provide free technical-vocational skills and employability training for nearly 4,000 unemployed, out-of-school youth.
USAID Mission Director Ryan Washburn and PBEd Board of Trustees Chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr. formalized the collaboration with seven private sector companies and one university from the Greater Manila Area and Cagayan de Oro. The partnership will contribute more than Php42 million worth of support to co-sponsor the training needs of youth aged 18-30 under the YouthWorks PH project.
“The skills that the out-of-school youth learn will develop them into productive employees or entrepreneurs, community change makers, and leaders who will contribute to helping steer the country’s economic recovery from the impacts of the pandemic,” said Mission Director Washburn. “As the Philippines’ enduring friend, partner, and ally, the United States remains committed to partnering with Philippine stakeholders to sustain and accelerate inclusive growth, especially for the country’s youth.”
“This partnership launch builds on YouthWorks PH’s existing suite of skills training resources in pandemic-resilient industries. Importantly, the partnerships we are forging today will also fill gaps in vital and growing sectors, such as the automotive sector and ICT,” said del Rosario.
YouthWorks PH is USAID’s private sector-driven employability initiative with PBEd and is a technical-vocational training program for youth who are currently not studying, training, or employed. The project provides free skills training, allowances, and mentoring in sectors such as construction, services and hospitality, retail, manufacturing, and logistics. Youth participants are also placed in on-the-job training slots, with the promise of employment with the partner companies once they complete the program and qualify.
The companies that joined the list of YouthWorks PH partners include Asiapro, a recognized provider of customized managed services solutions for different industries, which will provide Php40 million worth of training support to 3,000 youth in the construction industry. Universidad de Manila also signed on to provide skills training and certification programs to the youth.
Other partners include Blogapalooza, Inc., the Philippines’ premier influencer marketing company, which will give 25 youth training slots in marketing and graphic design; Greencars Mindanao Corp. with Crossroads Training Institute, which will offer automotive servicing courses to 50 youth of Cagayan de Oro City; Luljetta’s Place, which will open at least 15 slots in kitchen and front desk services, housekeeping, and administrative positions in the Greater Manila Area; Messy Bessy Cleaners and HOUSE (Helping Ourselves Through Sustainable Enterprises) Foundation with 15 slots in social enterprise work; and Alrose Group of Companies, a franchisee of at least 16 Filipino fast food chains in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City which will offer at least 30 in-company training slots.
To date, the USAID-PBEd partnership has already reached nearly 4,000 unemployed and out-of-school youths, and has opened up more than 13,000 training positions in different industries nationwide.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – This former US Naval Base turned Freeport has, to date, zero positive case of the Wuhan Virus (Covid-19) but, nevertheless the Pandemic has taken its toll on business and the labor sector here, as well.

According to the Labor Department of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), companies have “resorted to cost-cutting measures like forced leave, compressed workweek schedules, or outright termination of workers since February” when the Covid-19 outbreak began to hurt business activities in all levels worldwide.

Wistron Infocomm (Philippines) Corp., a computer device manufacturer and technical service provider tops the number of employees separated with 551, followed by port operator Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC) with 121, theme park operator Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium, Inc. (Ocean Adventure/Camayan Resort) 110, and Simon & Stanley International Trading & Development Co., with 74.

The report showed that as of June 2, a total of 2,435 workers underwent forced leave while 124 others were bumped off by compressed workweek schedules because of low demand for company products, or due to lack of materials and supplies for production.

Wistron also placed hundreds of workers on forced leave in February and March before finally separating the 551 of the employees last April.

MORE LAY-OFFS

Meanwhile, ship repair firm Subic Drydock Corporation (SDC) is scheduled to separate 52 employees on June 25 after implementing mandatory leave for 149 workers on May 1 to 15, according to the SBMA Labor Department report.

Subic Drydock administrative manager Diana Ross Mazo said in a statement that the imposition of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) last March “forced the business to shut down for two months without revenue.”

Mazo said that despite the cancellation of project bookings, the SDC has recalled back to work 40 percent of its employees as the company reopened in a staggered fashion starting May 18.

“Over the next few weeks, SDC will gradually increase capacity in support of the ‘new norm’. However, based on careful review of our operation, we need to reduce manpower by separating some of our employees effective June 25,” she added.

Mazo said the company will abide by laws and regulations regarding the separation of workers and will provide the applicable 13^th month and service incentive leave pay, as well as half month pay per year of service. Payment for the affected employees will be given in two separate checks: one dated June 26 and the other dated July 26, she added. 

Mazo also said that SDC officials, along with representatives from the SBMA Labor Department and the Department of Labor and Employment’s satellite office in Olongapo City, met with the affected workers in six batches until June11 to process the termination.

SBMA Labor Department manager Melvin Varias said the SBMA Labor Department is closely monitoring the implementation by Subic companies of their retrenchment measures to ensure compliance with labor laws.

Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, various locators in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone employed a total of 138,940 workers, with close to 70 percent in the services sector and more than 15 percent in manufacturing, Varias said. 

MORE COMPANIES NOW OPERATIONAL

On Monday, June 1, SBMA approved the operation of close to 900 companies doing core business activities and providing essential services following the shift to general community quarantine (GCQ).

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency lately gave the green light to 14 companies under GCQ rules, thus bringing the total number of open businesses here to 868.

Most of those allowed to operate under various levels of quarantine are manufacturers of export products, producers and suppliers of food and medicine, those involved in logistics operation, and utility operators, Eisma added.

Prior to this, the SBMA allowed 568 firms to remain open when the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) took effect on March 16, and then approved the reopening of 286 more companies after Subic transitioned to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) on May 16.

“The total number of locators that are now allowed to operate is just half of the 1,648 enterprises registered in Subic, but we are expecting more reopening in the coming weeks, as more qualified companies comply with minimum safety protocols specified under government guidelines,” Eisma said.

“But we have to remind everybody that we don’t allow companies to just open—even if they are qualified to open under Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines—without first passing compliance assessment by the SBMA,” Eisma said.

Eisma explained the assessment entails an ocular inspection by SBMA health and safety officials, as well as the Incident Management Team, which coordinates the agency’s Covid-19 response program, and is based on guidelines on workplace prevention and control of Covid-19 issued by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). 

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