Govt to hire half a million workers, DPWH says

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine public works department – the main agency in charge of the country’s infrastructure program – will hire almost half a million workers for its construction projects nationwide. Employing 495,000 workers is part of the government’s stimulus plan for this year, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Ramon P. Aquino said. Most of the workers will be directly hired by local governments, which will be in charge of projects to be constructed, Aquino added. Half of those hired will be skilled workers, a third will be unskilled, while the remaining 20 percent will be employed by contractors and operators. “They will work on roads, bridges and flood control project and SONA [State of the Nation Address] projects," the DPWH official said. SONA projects are those mentioned by the president during her yearly report to the House of Representatives. Roads, bridges, and flood control projects worth P60 billion – including infrastructure programs for Mindanao – are among those being planned by the DPWH. Road construction, rehabilitation, and upgrades will form a large part of the DPWH’s infrastructure programs. At the same time, Aquino remains hopeful that the bidding process for these projects will be conducted this month. - GMANews.TV