‘Sulong’ pushes for more job opportunities

Sulong Dignidad Party-list first nominee Rico Paolo Quicho on Thursday laid out a pro-labor agenda, which the group will push should it clinch a House seat in next week's midterm elections.

“The focus of our legislative agenda is taking care of our labor force and making

sure that they are given proper compensation, safe working environment, and room for professional growth and development,” said Quicho, who is a lawyer.

He further said that their comprehensive pro-labor agenda would ensure job security, increase job opportunities, and promote labor rights among Filipinos.

Quicho said Sulong Dignidad will propose legislation that will increase and optimize salaries and wages of workers both in public and private sectors.

He said they will also push for laws that will promote the welfare of all workers such as the Magna Carta of Workers in the Informal Economy (MCWIE).

“Our Constitution states that all workers, without exception, are entitled to social and labor protection. However, workers in the informal sector are not covered by the Labor Code of the Philippines,” Quicho noted.

“We need to make sure that workers in the informal economy are afforded with equal rights and recognition by law. It is imperative that appropriate programs and services be extended to them,” he added.

Aside from recognizing the rights of informal workers, the House of Representatives party-list bet said he also supports amending the 1987 Constitution’s economic provisions to make it easier for foreign investors to enter and create more job opportunities.

“We need to improve competitiveness and attract investments, both local and foreign, into manufacturing and other stagnant sectors of the economy,” Quicho said.