‘Rise in unemployment due to flood control mess’

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December 11, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Workers are now feeling the economic impact of the flood control mess, as indicated by the alarming increase in unemployment and underemployment, labor group Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa announced.

SENTRO secretary general Josua Mata noted that the country posted growth in unemployment when the economy should already be expanding ahead of the Christmas season.

Mata said the five percent increase in unemployment signaled “distress,” with many of the available jobs being contractual, precarious and of low quality.

“We are now on track to surpass last year’s under-utilization rate, a clear sign that the economy is slipping, not recovering,” he pointed out.

Mata said young people are among the hardest hit by joblessness.

He further noted that the downturn in manufacturing is clearly linked to the economic slowdown triggered by the flood control mess.

“As the economy continues to slow, the government must act decisively and creatively. It is time to pursue wage-led growth supported by wage subsidies, to put purchasing power back in the hands of workers,” Mata stressed.

DPWH vacancies

Meanwhile, job vacancies are growing at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as a steady flow of oldtimers are retiring from service in the aftermath of the flood control mess, sources told The STAR.

Among them were Central Luzon regional director Roseller Tolentino and Ilocos regional director Ronnel Tan, who have reportedly filed for retirement recently.

Engineer Reynaldo Faustino, Bureau of Quality and Safety director, has also retired as of Dec. 5, as well as Camarines Sur 3rd District Engineering Office (DEO) district engineer Romeo Doloiras, who retired Dec. 1.

Senior DPWH engineer Ramon Arriola III, project director of the Unified Project Management Office-Flood Control Management Cluster, had also retired last Nov. 30.

Another DPWH senior engineer, Teresita Bauzon, project director of the Roads Management Cluster 2-Multilateral Unified Project Management Office, retired last Nov. 26.

Meanwhile, DPWH Region 11 assistant regional director Joselito Caballero also retired last Nov. 19, as well as DPWH Quezon 1st District Engineering Office district engineer Melinda Sto. Domingo, said to be the former mother-in-law of former DPWH Bulacan 1st DEO assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez, who retired Nov. 11.

Aside from the retirements, sources said there were also notable resignations in the past months, such as DPWH Las Piñas-Muntinlupa DEO district engineer Isabelo Baleros, who stepped down Nov. 19.

Hernandez’s ex-wife, Mel Clarisse Sto. Domingo, also resigned as officer-in-charge of the Technical Services Division of the DPWH Bureau of Research and Standards last Sept. 22. She was just appointed to the position last Aug. 11.

In an anti-corruption event last Tuesday, DPWH Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III said that 40 agency personnel are under preventive suspension due to criminal and administrative cases relating to ghost and substandard flood control projects. Another four have been dismissed from service. – Rainier Allan Ronda