DEPARTMENT of Transportation Undersecretary for Railway Jeremy Regino recently cited the valuable role that the labor force plays in the country’s bid to achieve its socio-economic goals, particularly in transportation and infrastructure development.

In his keynote speech at a pre-Labor Day event attended by an audience which included diplomats, global labor leaders and legislators, Regino said the “country’s best asset remains to be its human resources”.

“No equipment, technology or artificial intelligence can replace the value that workers bring to development projects, as well as to the aspiration of a company or a country for growth and prosperity,” Regino said.

Regino lauded in particular the contribution of the more than 37,000 workers presently involved in the ongoing rail-based transportation projects of the country. He said the “quality of these projects and our ability to finish them on time are significantly based on the commitment and dedication of these members of the country’s labor force”.

“The success of the operation of these projects once completed will also depend largely on the support of thousands of workers that will be employed by the projects and the enterprises they will spur in the near future,” Regino added.

These projects include the North South Commuter Railway, the Metro Manila Subway, the various light rail transit projects in the National Capital Region, and the planned Mindanao Railway project. The NSCR project alone is expected to generate thousands of jobs for the country’s labor force during its construction and operation stages.

The projected number of jobs that will be created in areas where the railway system will pass has been boosted by President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s “Build Better More” program on infrastructure development.

“As the President’s program inspire the entry of more investments in areas where new and more modern railways will pass, we expect the number of future entrants into the work force to rapidly increase”, Regino said.

Because of the job creation impact of the President’s infrastructure project, we will continue to witness the expansion of the vital role of our labor force in the country’s progress,” he added.

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