DICT targets to create 8M digital jobs by 2028
On Saturday, the DICT said it had launched the ''Trabahong Digital'' program, which seeks to expand internet connectivity across the country and equip Filipinos with digital skills.
'Driving the digital-first economy will maximize job opportunities and business growth through digital skills empowerment and by providing our people with the tools they need to succeed,' DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said.
The DICT expressed confidence in achieving its job creation target by 2028, with the help of active partnerships with the government, academic institutions, and the private sector. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News
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GMA Network
14 hours ago
- GMA Network
Public can now purchase gov't treasury bonds through GCash
The investing public can now purchase the government's 31st offering of the Retail Treasury Bonds (RTB 31) through e-wallet platform GCash's GBonds feature. 'We are thrilled to bring RTB 31 to the GCash app. This collaboration significantly expands our reach, enabling more Filipinos to invest in government securities easily and securely. It's a monumental step toward our goal of a more financially inclusive Philippines, giving more people the opportunity to build their savings and contribute to the nation's economic growth,' said Treasurer of the Philippines Sharon Almanza. The government, through the Bureau of Treasury (BTr), raised P210 billion during the rate-setting auction for the five-year RTB 31 with a gross interest rate of 6% per annum. The Treasury's auction committee upsized the initial offer size of P30 billion after total bids submitted stood at P354.2 billion. The public, including GCash users who signed up for GBonds, can place a buy order for the RTB 31 from August 5 until the end of the offer period on August 15. 'For a minimum investment of P5,000 with no extra fees, GCash users can instantly place a buy order for RTB 31 anytime within the offer period once they sign up for GBonds. More Filipinos will have the chance to take part in nation-building while taking a significant step toward their financial goals through this innovation,' said Martha Sazon, president and CEO of GCash parent Mynt. 'In making RTBs more accessible to millions more Filipinos, we're also enabling retail investors to contribute to the P2.6 trillion borrowing program of the government to fund essential projects.'' Powered by Philippine Digital Asset Exchange (PDAX) Inc. and in partnership with the Treasury, GBonds became available to the public in July, allowing fully verified users to access fixed-income government securities without the need for a bank account. Filipinos can place their bond investment order and get confirmation in a few minutes in the GCash app. Fully verified GCash users with an updated KYC within the past three years just need to open the app, go to GInvest, select GBonds, and register for a PDAX account, subject to their terms and conditions, to complete the registration process. —VBL, GMA Integrated News

GMA Network
18 hours ago
- GMA Network
DSWD rejects calls to scrap 4Ps: It's proven in fight vs. poverty
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has brushed aside calls to abolish the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in favor of lump sum cash grants for beneficiaries to start their own business. "Walang reason na talagang ii-scrap o buwagin ang programa kasi napatunayan that the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program can contribute para bumaba ang ating poverty incidence," Gemma Gabuya, DSWD 4Ps program director, said in a report Wednesday by Dano Tingcungco on Unang Balita. (There's no reason to scrap the program because it has been proven that the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program can contribute to reducing poverty incidence.) The 4Ps is the government's national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfers to poor households for a maximum period of seven years to improve the health, nutrition, and education of children aged 0 to 18. Earlier, Senator Erwin Tulfo suggested that the 4Ps conditional cash transfer program should be replaced with a lump sum livelihood fund, saying some 4Ps beneficiaries prefer livelihood capital instead of monthly cash transfers. "'Yung pang-isang taon nilang matatanggap, ibigay mo na nang lump sum, at bahala ka na d'yan. Pero bago mo bigyan sila ng budget, kailangan alam nila, sabihin nila kung ano'ng gagawin sa pera na 'yon, at may training po sila," Tulfo said. (Give them the equivalent of one year's worth of assistance as a lump sum. It will be up to them what to do with the money. Before giving away the money, however, beneficiaries must declare how they plan to use it, and undergo appropriate training.) The DSWD projects that the 4Ps program would help some 3 million Filipinos get out of poverty. The program is more than about cash dole outs, the DSWD said, as part of the conditions to receive the benefits is that the household's children go to school and that they take regular visits to health centers. Education, health, and things taught through the Family Development Sessions (FDS) are the keys to break the cycle of poverty, according to the DSWD. "Mahirap ang one-time, kasi 'di mo ma-assure na tuloy-tuloy ang pag-aaral ng bata. Pero at least ngayon [sa 4Ps], susundan mo eh, susundan mo at talagang made-develop mo 'yung... behavior. Ito naman yung purpose ng 4Ps eh, yung behavior change. Na talaga yung mga magulang, kahit na mahirap, mabigyan lang ng pagkakataon na makapag-aral ang mga bata, talagang magsusumikap," she added. (A one-time grant makes it hard to ensure a child's continued schooling. But with 4Ps, the progress is monitored, and behavior is developed. That's the focus of 4Ps—behavior change. Some families are inspired to work harder just to keep their children in school.) For Tulfo, providing startup capital for small businesses could offer a more sustainable path out of poverty as compared to monthly handouts which may foster dependency. Kate Hillary Condez, whose family is a 4Ps beneficiary, shared that the program has been instrumental in helping her overcome hardships due to poverty. Her mother enrolled in the 4Ps program in 2019 because she was jobless and wanted to send her children to school. "Sa education po namin, binibili ni mama ng gamit namin sa school 'pag may natatanggap po siya. Sa health naman po namin, 'yung gamot, nakakabili siya ng ibang kailangan namin sa bahay like yung mga bigas po," said Kate. (For our education, my mother would use money from 4Ps to buy our school supplies. For health, she was able to buy medicine and other household needs like rice.) Kate said the family also benefited from sessions that taught them how to better manage the cash grants and become responsible citizens. "Nagtuturo po yung mga municipal ng ibang paraan kung paano magagamit cash grant. And tinuturuan din nila beneficiary na maging aktibong mamamayan—hindi lang po in terms of education, in terms din ng pagiging huwarang pamilya," she added. (They teach different ways to use the cash grant. Beneficiaries are also taught to be active citizens—not just in terms of education, but also in becoming model families.) She has since graduated with a degree in Office Administration and now plans to help her family, knowing that the 4Ps support is limited to a maximum of seven years. For the DSWD, the goal is to empower families like Kate's and guide them out of poverty—not just through money, but through sustained behavioral and developmental change. During his fourth State of the Nation Address last July 28, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. directed the inclusion of homeless individuals in 4Ps and other DSWD programs. On Monday, House Deputy Minority Leader and ML party-list Representative Leila de Lima defended the 4Ps program, saying its beneficiaries are no freeloaders. De Lima, one of the authors of Republic Act 11310 or the law that institutionalized 4Ps, issued the statement in response to Tulfo's statement that the 4Ps should be scrapped and replaced by livelihood assistance instead. — VDV, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
21 hours ago
- GMA Network
Jobless Pinoys decline to 1.95M in June 2025
The number of Filipinos without jobs or livelihoods decreased for the second straight month in June 2025, receding below two million, according to the results of the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) latest Labor Force Survey. At a press briefing on Wednesday, PSA Deputy National Statistician Divina Gracia del Prado reported that unemployed persons, ages 15 and above, declined to 1.95 million from 2.03 million in May 2025. Year-on-year, jobless individuals grew from 1.62 million in June 2024. As a percentage of 52.42 million participants in the labor force who are actively looking for labor opportunities during the period, the number of jobless persons translated to an unemployment rate of 3.7%, down from 3.9% month-on-month. This means 37 in 1,000 individuals do not have jobs or livelihoods during the period. —VAL, GMA Integrated News