Unemployment in the Philippines - Filipino Emptiness Behind Philippines’ Vastness

Mart Anthony D. dela Peña BSA-I                 Comm1 (C2)                              September 12, 2011

Filipino Emptiness Behind Philippines’ Vastness

“What will I do? How can I help my family? What will I use in buying my necessities?” These are just few of the questions which I ask myself when I realize that I am a victim of the social crisis that the Philippines is suffering.  Undoubtedly, due to the alarming unemployment in the country which spreads throughout the archipelago (from Batanes to Sulu), I can assure that I am just a mere fraction of the millions of Filipinos who are experiencing emptiness of job opportunities behind the country’s  richness of natural resources.

        I graduated Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (BEED) five years ago in the Leyte Normal University San Isidro External Campus (LNU-SIEC). I achieved a GWA of 1.25 in my graduating year and I passed the Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET). Unfortunately, these achievements did not give me an employment opportunity. Currently, I am just one of the unemployed Filipinos who are sitting in waiting sheds (waiting for temporary job opportunities) and burning cigarettes (wasting my potentials). I am one of the loads which lessen the happiness of my family and hinder the growth of my country.

        Actually, unemployment can be seen in my family. We are six children in the family and four of us have already achieved different college degrees. My eldest brother, Janrey (30), graduated Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education (BSED) ten years ago but he is just working as a private tutor (with a meager salary) once a month. My older sister, Jonna (29), graduated BS in Nursing yet she end up working voluntarily in the Rural Health Unit of our municipality. Jericho (27) graduated BS in Management seven years ago but he is forced to work as a sales clerk in a grocery store. And (as I have said earlier) I am just roaming the streets without any relevant purpose. Furthermore, my mother is college-degree holder (BS in Banking) yet she is just a plain housewife while my father is a civil engineer but he works as a construction worker in Saudi Arabia.

        Even though our employment rate has improved by 3.1 percent (from 10.5%- 7.4%) for the past two decades, we cannot deny that unemployment is still rampant in our country. Based on the 2011 survey, 7.4 percent or 4.6 million  out of the 61.5 million labor force population of the country (15 years old and above), are unemployed (not to mention those who are underemployed). This statistical data only implies that job opportunities are becoming insufficient vis a vis the demands of labor force population. In general, this staggering fact only proves that improvements in employment rate cannot assure sufficiency in catering the needs of Filipino citizens.