Labor urges end to stalling in Congress canvass

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) called on the Senate and the House of Representatives to end the ongoing debates on and hasten the task of conducting the official count for the next president and vice president of the country as it expressed fears that the uncertainty generated by the impasse will result to job losses.

The TUCP made the appeal saying that the wrangling in the Congressional canvass is unsettling investors. This according to TUCP may push investors to shy away from the Philippines which is known for its “exuberant” democracy.

The TUCP stressed that ultimately it will be the jobs and livelihood of millions of workers which will be put on the line. “When and if investors feel that the chaotic situation may lead to political instability they will just pack their bags and move to other countries”, TUCP added.

“The longer the count is completed, the greater the political and economic uncertainty will hover over the Philippines. We have enough problems in this country and the least our legislators should do is to assuage the fears of investors,” the TUCP said.

“We are again seeing partisan politics at its worst. These debates are not being conducted to safeguard the integrity of the canvassing process but to unduly delay the official counting of votes,” the TUCP said.

The TUCP appealed to the legislators to rise above partisan politics and practice statesmanship by speeding up the official canvassing for the top two positions in the land.

It added that the ongoing delays in the official count will only stall the healing process the country needs to move forward after the divisive electoral process.

“Healing and moving forward will only begin once we find out who the next leaders of this country will be,” the TUCP said.