From Daily Tribune: Jobs, Isko’s crime antidote
By Chito Lozada – August 12, 2019
Saying he remains dazed by the sudden attention he has been getting for doing what is expected of a local executive, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso promised to line up more plans to improve the lives of Manileños, including providing them with more job opportunities.
In an interview during an episode of the online forum “Straight Talk with Daily Tribune,” Domagoso said he had asked top companies to allot 70 percent of their workforce for local residents in offices located in the capital city.
“I don’t want to preempt things but recently, I was sitting at a dining table composed of owners of the top 10 conglomerates in the country. What an opportunity, and I gave them a good offer to put up businesses in the city,” he said.
The mayor recounted that it was like a job interview where the business officials asked questions while he answered. “I felt like I was in a Miss Universe contest,” Domagoso said.
Their questions were basic, such as “What direction are you taking?” or “What will be your policy (on a particular field?)”
“I was given an opportunity to sit before owners of these conglomerates and I told them if you wanted to put up your business in Manila, I’ll provide you with incentives, but you should get 70 percent of your labor requirements from among the residents,” he said.
Last July, the Manila mayor met with members of the Makati Business Club (MBC), an elite organization of companies with offices on Ayala Avenue.
Domagoso during the meeting noted that MBC companies mostly do bulk of their business in Manila, which should merit a change in the group’s name to the Manila Business Club.
“Wherever in the city you want to put up business would be fine with me, so long as 70 percent of the people you will hire come from Manila, whether it be a branch or a new business,” he recounted telling the businessmen.
The requirement goes right into his aim of eradicating both crimes and unemployment that he believes go together.
“One of those I talked to said ‘I am a squatter’ or ‘I drive a sidecar,’ so it means that his mind is not idle, which usually is common among those who fall into crime,” he said.
Read the full story at Daily Tribune
Let us know what you think of the story...