Senate labor committee chair Joel Villanueva on Saturday warned that rising unemployment and the loss of nearly one million jobs in agriculture and forestry require stronger government action to protect livelihoods and boost domestic food production.
Citing Philippine Statistics Authority data for May 2026, Villanueva said the unemployment rate rose to 4.8 percent, equivalent to 2.50 million jobless Filipinos.
This was higher than the 2.41 million unemployed in April and the 2.03 million recorded in May 2025.
“The latest employment data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) should not be taken lightly,” Villanueva said.
He raised particular concern over agriculture and forestry, which posted the largest year-on-year employment decline among all sectors, shedding 905,000 jobs.
Villanueva said the contraction came as the country continued to rely heavily on imported rice. The Philippines imported 2.75 million metric tons of rice in the first half of the year, while local palay output was projected to fall below the 20.28-million-metric-ton target.
While acknowledging the need for short-term measures to contain food prices, he warned that importation should not become the government’s default policy.
“If importation remains the default response instead of strengthening domestic agricultural and fisheries production, we will continue to lose jobs in a sector that should be generating sustainable livelihoods for millions of Filipinos,” he said.
Villanueva said the situation underscored the need to fully implement Republic Act No. 11962, or the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, which establishes a 10-year roadmap for job creation and support for workers, micro, small and medium enterprises, farmers and fisherfolk.
“The legal framework is already in place, and the roadmap has been established. What is needed now is its effective and sustained implementation,” he said.
He urged the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, which chairs the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Inter-Agency Council, to ensure the Department of Agriculture’s active participation in future meetings.
Villanueva stressed that agricultural production and employment must be addressed together.
“They must be addressed in a coordinated manner if we are serious about improving the welfare of our farmers and fisherfolk,” he said.
He added that the issue goes beyond food prices and should be treated as a broader challenge involving jobs, livelihoods, food security and long-term economic resilience.