Labor importation not gov’t policy — Dominguez

The Department of Finance (DOF) said it is not the Duterte administration’s policy to import foreign laborers to ensure the swift completion of the government’s ambitious infrastructure projects.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said that there is a law prohibiting Philippine entities to hire low-skilled workers, adding special work permits are only issued to foreign nationals who are either highly technical or managerial.

Earlier, Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the government was “open to importing foreign labor” from China to construct the infrastructure projects financed by Beijing. China is funding some of the government’s infrastructure projects through its official development assistance (ODA) funds.

“No, that is not the government’s policy to import labor, but if you need special skills and they are not available in the country then what should you do, you'll bring it in right? which we do,” Dominguez told reporters.

Dominguez, meanwhile, assured that the major economic benefits from the Duterte administration’s 18-trillion “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program are for the Filipinos.

“Has anybody been displaced at the moment? I don't think you have a karpintero [carpenter] here from the US or from Japan, or from anywhere else that I know of,” Dominguez asked.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III earlier said the government’s infrastructure development program would generate 12 million new jobs for Filipinos by the end of the Duterte administration.

Bello described that the “golden age of infrastructure” would also result in “golden age of jobs, jobs and jobs.”

The DOF has been saying that the government will increase the share of infrastructure spending in the gross domestic product (GDP) from 5.4 percent this year to 7.4 percent in 2022. (CSL)