Spain pushes for reduced migration of RP youth

AS migration continues to be the way out for Filipinos seeking for a better life for their families, Spain has earmarked $6 million or P270 million for a project designed to harness the skills of the Filipino youth and make them be of service to the Philippines rather than abroad.

The three-year program, titled Alternatives to Migration: Decent Jobs for Filipino Youth, is designed to improve policy coherence and implementation on youth, employment and migration and increased access to decent work for young men and women.

 “The youth should have sources of work so that they could stay where there are most needed and help in their country’s development,” Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Luis Arias said during the program’s launch held at the Mandarin Hotel in Makati City.

At least 10,000 poor and vulnerable young men and women ages 15 to 24 years old from Masbate, Antique, Agusan del Sur and Maguindanao are expected to benefit from the project.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque, for his part, noted that such initiative will ”also reduce failures of migration, since we found out that those migrant workers who end up in bad situation in the Middle East are household service workers from the said regions.”  –Llanesca T. Panti, Manila Times