AS THE country grapples with increasing joblessness, Davao City mayoralty candidate Karlo Nograles outlined his plan to “create not just more, but better” jobs that would help Dabawenyos cope with the rising costs of living.
According to Nograles, “economic growth is meaningless if it does not lead to a better life for the people.”
“As Davao continues to establish itself as an economic powerhouse, it must also provide the platform for Dabawenyos to benefit from these gains. I believe that we can do this by providing not just more, but better jobs that will help families afford food and the studies of their children,” Nograles said.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the country’s unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent in January 2025, or around 2.15 million Filipinos, up from 3.1 percent in December 2024. Underemployment, meanwhile, was pegged at 13.3%, up from 10.9% in the previous month.
The former Civil Service Commission chief pointed out that this figure only means that more than a fourth of Filipinos either do not have income or do not earn enough.
“Hindi ito katanggap-tanggap,” he added.
Nograles also lamented how Dabawenyos have not been spared from underemployment, as many continue to find themselves in informal, unstable, and low-wage contractual work without any benefits.
With this, he emphasized that the city government must be proactive in helping people find better jobs.
“We need to strengthen City Hall’s Public Employment Services, forge partnerships with tech and BPO sectors, and boost local entrepreneurship by providing easier access to training, finance, and technical support,” the former lawmaker said.
He added that he will push for local hiring in major infrastructure projects so that Dabawenyos will directly benefit from the city’s development.
“Ang prinsipyo natin sa mga proyekto ng Davao ay Dabawenyo First. Kung may makikinabang sa mga proyekto ng City Hall, dapat ang ating mga kababayan sa Davao,” he said.
He, however, believes that this endeavor is not new to every Dabawenyo but through his leadership, he plans on fine-tuning the city’s employment program to create a better working experience and blueprint for Davao City.
“Para sa trabaho, taas-sahod, ug mas maayong kaugmaon,” Nograles said.
As chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger, Nograles had worked with the departments of Trade and Industry (DTI), Labor and Employment (Dole), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) to address not just food insecurity but also the economic roots of hunger, including lack of jobs and poor incomes.
He also actively supported the expansion of Tesda scholarships and livelihood programs, helping Filipinos train for in-demand jobs through initiatives like the Special Training for Employment Program (Step) and Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP). PR
