Duterte lamented that many skilled workers have opted to find greener pastures abroad such as the Middle East. It was at this point that the Chief Executive revealed that the labor gap has made problematic the Build, Build, Build program. But Rep. Gary Alejano of the Magdalo party-list claimed that the country has enough skilled workers for the government’s infrastructure program. The administration prefers to import Chinese laborers because his Build, Build, Build program relies heavily on loans from China,” he said. “We are currently experiencing ‘skill and brain drain’ phenomenon because of this bad treatment of our construction workers,” he noted.

Source: Philippine Star February 15, 2019 16:03 UTC